What I Want
by Naraku's Phoenix
Summary: AU. Haruhi makes a deal with the black wizard, Nekozawa, in exchange for her mother's life. Taken away from her home she is thrust into a world of sorcery and knighthood and must carve her own path in life.
1. Something Drastic

Naraku's Phoenix: Well, to start off I'd like to welcome you all to my first Ouran High School Host Club fic

**Naraku's Phoenix****:** Well, to start off I'd like to welcome you all to my first Ouran High School Host Club fic. I didn't notice ANY – even if there are – AU fics, so I decided to write one. I hope you all find my latest work both compelling and enchanting.

**Disclaimer****:** I don't own Ouran High School Host Club.

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**Chapter 1: Something Drastic**

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It was a particularly dreary day. The ground was muddy and soft from the early morning's rainfall which had simmered down to a mist in the past few hours. The sun was shrouded by the heavy clouds and the air was cold, and it was only on days like this that the black wizard Nekozawa Umehito bothered to show his face in public.

He would have to visit the nearby village every now and then, of course, to obtain supplies necessary to his existence. He bought nothing towards his _practice_, mind you, for he got plenty of that from both his inner source at the king's palace, and from the habitat of the enchanted swampland where he kept his dwelling. The villagers were used to his occasional visits, but that didn't mean they tolerated him very well. He was on no speaking terms with any of them, and he figured that the rumors they passed about him would suffice for their knowledge of him.

The trip was routine: he would visit a few farmers and traders to gather his desired items and then sleep over in the abandoned barn (the first time he slept in there, the livestock never bothered to return and resisted) before returning to his home shortly after dawn. The villagers gave him a wide berth as they tried to go about their daily routines as normally as possible. Nekozawa knocked on the first establishment with his empty burlap ready to be filled. He was met at the door by a rather small, and very pregnant, woman.

The woman gasped.

Her husband – he assumed – appeared behind her shortly after. "Hello, Nekozawa," he greeted sternly, "I guess you'll be wanting your chickens then?"

"Two, please."

The man ushered his wife back into their cottage dwelling and told her to get back in bed. Nekozawa stepped back to allow the man to lead him around to where the livestock was kept. By the time they reached around back, the rain started picking up again.

"Haruhi!" the man called.

"Coming, father!" a voice called back. The girl emerged from the stables dusting her hands off on her apron and looked up at her father. She stopped abruptly and took a step back when she saw who was with him.

"Get two chickens and stuff them in a sack, and hurry!" Haruhi quickly did as she was told. Ranka took a silver coin from Nekozawa and was careful not to touch his hand. Following her father's actions, when Haruhi returned she held the chicken sack to Nekozawa at arms length. The hooded man intentionally touched the length of her thumb as he reached for the sac and Haruhi immediately let go and cradled her hand to her chest. Ranka stood behind his daughter and rested a hand on his shoulder, and he watched Nekozawa leave with the most deadly of gazes. Once the wizard had left, he tightened his grip on Haruhi's shoulder.

"I'd punch the bastard in the face if I wasn't afraid of what he'd do."

The day went on, the evening darkened, and the rained poured heavier than it had all week. Nekozawa went to the barn, and Haruhi rushed off to fetch the midwives.

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Another bloodcurdling scream broke out from the Fujioka household. Ranka paced blindly through the cottage, unsure of what to do since the two midwives and his daughter banished him from the bedroom. He hated his wife to be in such pain, but had to convince himself that everything would be alright, just like after Haruhi was born. But, he was too wrapped up in his own thoughts to hear the real conversation behind the door.

"I don't know if she's going to make it!" yelled one of the midwives as to be heard over the screams, "I must have seen through over a hundred births in my lifetime, and not one has been as difficult as this one!"

"But she's just got to make it!" yelled Haruhi, "She just has to!"

"I'm afraid to say otherwise, child, but you've got to face reality, here!" the younger midwife yelled as she dabbed more cool water on the poor woman's face, "It'll take a miracle for her to live through the next hour let alone the night!"

"We haven't much time!" the elder midwife called, "This baby's got to be born! Child, go get your father! He needs to spend the last moments with his wife, even if they are in agony."

"NO! Don't talk like that; I won't let you; I WON'T LET HER!" Haruhi screamed as she burst out the door and past her fidgety father. Without so much as slipping on a hat or a cover, Haruhi continued running blindly out the front door in her frail one-layer dress and apron, not even giving the rain pour a second thought. She stopped in the middle of the village square.

She was about to do something drastic.

She almost turned back, but she was desperate.

She didn't want her mother to die.

She ran towards Nekozawa's barn.


	2. Be My Pet

Naraku's Phoenix:

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**Chapter 2: Be My Pet**

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She ran all the way to the barn, lost her shoes in the mud, and was shivering beyond all belief. Yet, all these reasons simply weren't enough for her to enter the shabby old barn. She knew Nekozawa lay on the other side, and considering the type of being he was, there was a good chance he was already aware of her presence. A picture of her mother's agony-filled face flashed across her mind, and it was this image alone that pushed her forward. She couldn't waste any more time.

Inside of the barn was pitch black, as she expected, but it was the silence that unnerved her the most. With the sound of the rain muffled by the aged wooden walls, she was able to hear her thoughts. Haruhi suddenly began to analyze her intentions. She was dealing with dark forces here, and she didn't want to do anything rash. She could still turn back…

"No," she confidently said.

"No, what?" a deep voice asked. She froze.

A flash of lighting revealed Nekozawa's purchases piled neatly on the hay strewn floor. The man himself was standing dangerously close behind her.

"I highly doubt that you came to be in my company," Haruhi blinked, "Though I wouldn't mind it," he laughed, "So, tell me, what is your reason for coming to me? You should be aware by now that you and your people and I are not very friendly with one another." A loud crack of thunder exploded shortly thereafter and Haruhi whipped around and buried herself into Nekozawa's chest. He smirked, "Or perhaps you did come to keep me company, after all, though I seem to remember you giving me a frightened reaction earlier this afternoon," he smirked, "By gods, there really is something more frightening than me, isn't there?" Haruhi quickly withdrew from the awkward position and stood back facing him, avoiding eye contact at all cost.

"I need to make a deal with you."

"Oh?" Nekozawa replied surprised.

"I heard a rumor that you have a Healing Gift," she said.

"There's also the rumor that I'm ten thousand years old, have black tar for blood," he pulled Haruhi's chin up and forced him to look into his eyes and she immediately recoiled, "…and that direct eye contact with me will make your heart explode." He stepped back and Haruhi immediately lowered her head, "But as you can see, there are some falsehoods."

"But…you do have a healing gift."

"And how do you know that for sure?"

"M-my grandmother saw you break your leg on one of your visits…and said when you came back three days later you walked without limp." When Nekozawa said nothing, she continued, "My mother is having a baby…and," Haruhi started tearing up, "And I don't want to lose her, I don't want my brother growing up not knowing her or let my father be without her…we can't let her go!" she yelled unexpectedly.

"I see…she really means a lot to you," Nekozawa replied calmly. Haruhi nodded. "So, what will I get in return?" Haruhi's face lightened up.

"You'll help her?"

"What will I get in return," he repeated, more sternly this time.

"Wh-what do you want," Haruhi stammered.

"What do you have to offer?"

Haruhi's hands began fidgeting. "We-we could give you our chickens for free," she offered.

"And what will your father say when he discovers that you made a deal with the devil; That his wife and newborn son are a product of heresy? He will drive himself mad and eventually kill, not only himself, but his entire family as well. Would you really want that?" Haruhi tightened her fists and continued looking at the ground she knew was there but couldn't see. "Now what? Do you have? To offer?"

"I-I've only got one other thing, but I don't think it'll interest you."

"Try me," he said.

"I-I can give you me."

"Now, that does interest me. But that means you'll never get to see your mother again; it would be no different if she did die."

Haruhi slapped him. She put her hands to her mouth as her eyes widened in shock at what she had just done. Nekozawa gingerly touched the side of his face that had been hit and turned his head to look at her with a wide grin spread across his face.

"I suppose that was out of line. Forgive me?"

Haruhi stood silently, and was afraid to speak. "Please…help her," she finally managed to whisper.

"If you were desperate enough to seek me out," said Nekozawa, "it _must_ be serious-"

"There's not much time!"

Another clap of thunder sounded and Haruhi sunk into herself. The two of them remained silent for a moment and then Nekozawa wandered over to his bedding and sifted around in his personal pack. He pulled out a small vile of crushed glitter as well as a worn square of parchment and set to work. He took the dagger from his belt and cut the tip of his finger from which he used the blood to draw a strange symbol on the parchment, and he sprinkled some glitter on top. Putting away his dagger and the glitter, Nekozawa carefully picked up the parchment and spit on it before crumpling his concoction together within the paper ball.

"Put this in some water and let your mother drink it. I expect you to pack your things immediately afterwards. I will escort you to your house and then wait for you outside. We'll be leaving for my establishment at dawn."

It took a moment for Haruhi to register all that was being said to her.

"I thought you said there wasn't much time," said Nekozawa.

Haruhi immediately snapped out of her trance and bolted out of the barn. Nekozawa was not far behind. They approached her house in record time and Haruhi rushed in to drop Nekozawa's parchment in the water pitcher allowing it to break apart. Then, rapidly, she rushed to her mother's room and presented the pitcher to the midwives who only assumed she wanted to comfort her dying mother as much as possible. The younger midwife tilted the pitcher for Haruhi's mother, and the woman drank every drop. A few seconds later she stopped convulsing and slowly regained her breathing. Ranka held his wife up and the older midwife dropped to her knees to deliver the baby.

"Well, I'll be," she said, "She's going to make it."

Haruhi breathed a sigh of relief and was prepared to stay for the birthing of her brother when she caught sight of a shadow looming outside the room's window. Then, before she could change her mind, Haruhi turned around and bolted back out of her parent's room and into her dwellings where she grabbed a sack and stuffed it full with all of the clothes and personal items that would fit. She wrapped a few other things up in her bed sheet and tied it off before slinging it on her shoulder. She was ready to go. Haruhi hesitated. She could almost feel Nekozawa pulling on her, ushering her to leave. Haruhi complied and walked past her parent's room just in time to hear, "He's beautiful." Tears slipped through her eyelids and trailed down her cheeks, and…

She left.

Nekozawa was waiting for her outside and politely reached out to carry one of her bags. She reluctantly passed over the knotted bed sheet and followed him back to the barn. Each footstep felt weighted and stiff to her, and the shock of what she had done finally caught up with her. Was she really so selfish? No, she decided. She just made a very brash choice.

And now Haruhi must fulfill the consequence of her choice.

When the two of them were safely inside the barn once more, Nekozawa took Haruhi's luggage and set it next to his own. Then with a simple, "Good night," from him, he nestled into his pile of hay and she followed suit. With everything that went on that night, sleep eluded Haruhi, and she found herself growing more and more uncomfortable with her predicament. What would her parents think? How would her friends feel? What would she miss the most? Would she ever get to see the baby brother? Would she get to see anyone ever again? But most importantly, and most relevant to her situation, what were Nekozawa's plans for her?

Tomorrow was going to be a long day.


	3. His House

Haruhi felt like she had only closed her eyes for a few seconds before she felt a long finger on her shoulder prodding her awake. Reluctantly she opened her eyes and waited for the blurry image of Nekozawa to focus.

"Get your things, we're leaving now."

Haruhi sat up and immediately clutched her head. Running about in the rain last night without drying off or changing clothes wasn't very smart, or healthy for that matter. No doubt she was in for a serious sinus infection. Cool, thin hands clutched either side of her head and suddenly the pain began to waft away. Haruhi sighed in relief and Nekozawa left her side once more to collect his packages and load them in his small wagon. Without asking he packed up Haruhi's items as well.

Now that Haruhi no longer had pain consuming her senses, she began to take notice of other things about her person, like how awful she smelt…or how her legs were caked with mud and her hair was tangled. It would take forever to brush the knots out of her hair.

By now, Nekozawa was already at the back entrance of the barn gesturing for Haruhi to hurry. She stretched a bit before standing up and taking a deep breath. She would not cry today; there was no reason to cry. Her mother is alive and her brother is a healthy newborn. She got exactly what she wanted…nothing more, nothing less.

She's also getting what she deserves, too.

This brought shivers to Haruhi's spine and her legs began shaking while she walked. They were going to Nekozawa's house, today. No one inside the village had ever seen it before, let alone knew where it was located; so, she was scared. Anyone would be scared, she reasoned, if she or he were inevitably thrust into the unknown. But that still didn't lift her unease.

She shuffled across the ground in her dirty – not to mention her last pair – shoes and followed Nekozawa into the faint shimmer of dawn. Upon exiting the back of the barn they were immediately met by the edge of the forest and began their journey through the muck. The path Nekozawa was leading her on was worn and surprisingly stable which meant that it was traveled upon often. They walked for a good hour or two, neither one talking to the other, when Nekozawa stopped pulling his wagon and set the break on it. He started shifting around the cargo and pulled up a small sack from inside another at the left rear corner. Then he passed Haruhi with the sack and sat down so that his back was supported against a tree. Haruhi watched him pull chunks of cheese and bread out of the sack and cut them up with the dagger that was always in his belt. He made two portions and handed the second one to Haruhi who hesitantly took it. Then, with just as much hesitance, she sat down beside him when he motioned for her to join him. They took a ten minute break which they used to eat and share drinks from the wine sac.

They started walking again, and kept going until the late afternoon. Haruhi had to follow Nekozawa on a special path as the forest changed into a more watery terrain, and they were soon traveling across the enchanted swamp. They stopped only once more for a bathroom break and they were soon closing on his house by the time dusk started settling in.

Nekozawa lived on a reasonably good-sized estate and much to Haruhi's ease, if only a little bit, it was upon solid ground. She had to remind herself that this was probably due to a spell, but right now that was the least of her problems…if that could be counted as a problem. She took her luggage from Nekozawa's wagon and picked up a few of his items, as well, helping him unload. She followed him throughout the grounds of his establishment as he put away all of his purchases in their proper places. Once that was taken care of Nekozawa lifted the burden of one of her bags and led her into his house. Haruhi followed nervously, afraid to take any more than baby steps. Nekozawa took the other bag from her and disappeared behind a blanket that served as a door.

"How about we get you cleaned up, now?" said Nekozawa when he came back. Haruhi was speechless. During his absence he had taken the liberty of removing his cloak, and Haruhi, having never seen him without his hood up, couldn't find a word that lived up to his physical beauty. If people had seen him like this, they never would have guessed his true profession…if you could call it that. His short blond hair framed his face perfectly and went along with his bright blue eyes and flawless, pale skin. Seeing him like this only made Haruhi feel at least twenty times as repulsive as she must have looked right now. She stayed silent as more than one shade of red tinged her cheeks and Nekozawa smiled and walked past her. He held up another blanket door for her and she walked in ahead of him.

The room was relatively small but it served its purpose. There was a free standing tub in the middle of the floor and surrounding it was a mirror on the wall, a basin and pitcher standing on a table in the corner, and shelves filled with perfumes, creams, lotions, soaps and other such products. On the right there was a water pump that seemed to be built right into the wall and the spout hung directly above the edge of the tub. Nekozawa only followed her in to light a few candles to aid what little moonlight shone through the window and he left with that same peculiar smile on his face. Haruhi wandered over to inspect the tub and found that it was a bit larger than what she was used to. She turned around and double-checked that she was only before circling around the tub and testing out the water pump. She filled the tub in ten pumps and was shocked to learn that the water was hot. This was definitely going to be a new experience for her.

She untied her apron and dropped it carelessly on the floor followed by her shoes and the handkerchief that covered her hair. She gingerly peeled off her dress and was now standing in her petticoat and pantaloons.

"Oh, I'm sorry," came Nekozawa's voice. Haruhi crossed her arms – which were still inside the dress – across her chest and turned her head to look at the doorway. Nekozawa said nothing as he crossed the room and placed two towels on top of the table which held the basin and pitcher. He avoided looking at her and left the bathing area once more. She waited a few more minutes before stripping completely and stepping into the tub. The water was still hot. Haruhi had never felt anything so wonderful in her life. The dirt came off easily and she was pleased to see clean skin once more. The hot water also helped with the tangles in her hair. Feeling brave she brought down a few of the mystery soaps and scrubbed away, loving the scents of lavender that wafted in the air. About an hour later she convinced herself to leave her piece of paradise. The water showed no signs of cooling down and she didn't need Nekozawa intruding on her privacy again. Tip-toeing over to the towels she discovered that he had also left her a nightgown. The nightgown was warm and long as she slipped it on and then proceeded to towel dry her long hair. Once she was finished she took a deep breath and started walking around and blowing out candles. Opting for one more touch of the magical water, she was startled when she found that the tub was empty again.

After all of her ministrations were finished, Haruhi shuffled out of the bathing area and found Nekozawa sitting in a rocking chair in the corner and reading a book. He looked up almost immediately when she re-entered the living area and another smile stretched across his face. "Feel better?" he asked. Haruhi slowly nodded her head and Nekozawa marked his book before getting up and striding over to her. "You've had a long day; I'll tuck you in," he said grabbing her hand and pulling her to the room he dropped her belongings in earlier. There were two beds: one in the far left corner settled in a vertical position, and another laying horizontally along the far right corner adjacent to the door. He led her to the bed on the right and pulled back the covers for her. Haruhi felt even more uncomfortable as she slipped into bed and Nekozawa pulled up the covers for her. All of her nervousness drifted away when her body settled into the most comfortable bed she had ever felt and sleep began consuming her senses even though she felt jittery and wide awake only seconds before.

"We'll discuss a few things in the morning," said Nekozawa in that charming voice of his, "Goodnight, Haruhi."

And that was the last thing Haruhi heard before she fell deep into sleep.


	4. Terms and Conditions

When Haruhi awoke that morning it was to the smell of bacon and eggs. The sun was up and the stuffy air in the room was the sole factor that forced her out of bed. She stretched in a cat-like manner as she did every morning and pushed the covers aside so she could slide out of bed. Following the alluring scent of breakfast Haruhi slowly made her way to the kitchen area where she saw Nekozawa putting to plates of food on his small table.

"Oh, good," he said when he caught sight of her, "I was just about to wake you. Did you sleep well?"

Haruhi only nodded with her voice still caught in her throat, still unsure of what to make of her situation. Nekozawa held a chair out for her and she politely accepted. He then joined her on the other side and clapped his hands twice before digging in to his meal. Haruhi began eating as well, though by the time Nekozawa had cleared his plate, she was only half way through.

"So, I've been thinking," he began after he wiped his mouth, "you're the one that offered yourself to me, and I was wondering what exactly it is you thought you'd be doing here."

Haruhi thought about it for a moment before opening her mouth. "I, well…" she paused and Nekozawa nodded his head for her to continue, "it was a rash decision…I admit, but I figured I would be a…a servant of sorts to you."

"What kind of servant?"

"Well, the regular kind…I suppose; taking care of your home, running errands for you…those sorts of things." Haruhi opted for staring at her food rather than the man before her. She heard him sigh and lean back in his chair.

"Well, if that's what you really want to do…" he began; he smiled when Haruhi peaked with interest and finally lifted her gaze to him, "…but I was thinking of something different."

Haruhi continued looking expectantly at him.

"I was thinking you could be my apprentice." He gave another charming smile and waited for her to speak.

"…I mean no offense, but I don't know how comfortable I'd be learning black magick," she blushed.

"Well, that's not a problem. I could teach you other magicks - how to make potions and medicines for one thing, and I also know a good deal of white magick. Take a day to think it over; it'd be fun to have another sorcerer in my company, you know, especially one who would be my protégé."

"…I'll think about it, then…" Haruhi went back to her food and Nekozawa spoke again after she was finished. He did so as he was clearing the table.

"Your name is Haruhi, is it not?" he asked, "and I presume that you already know my name." Haruhi nodded. "Well, during your stay here I want you to call me Neko-sensei," he returned to his chair at the small table and looked at her.

"…Alright, Neko-sensei."

He smiled at the sound of it. Then he dropped it and a more serious expression came forth.

"Now, that we have that out of the way…I'd like to go over a few ground rules with you."

Haruhi perked up and sat up straight giving him her full attention.

"I am well aware of what you gave up when you made your decision and I hope you understand that there is no turning back now," he watched her heart sink, "you will not be permitted to return to your village or have any contact whatsoever with your family or former friends, ever again. Even though you came to me willingly, I shall escort you every time we leave the premises, and until I can trust you fully, I'll have a charm placed around the property to prevent you from leaving. You have full access to all of the buildings and rooms of my establishment, but please refrain from touching my personal items; this is for your safety above all else.

"I would like you to get acquainted with the animals in the barn as you will be their new caregiver. Don't remove their collars; I have a spell on the beasts to keep them calm and refrain from going mad in my establishment. For the next couple of weeks you'll be my shadow and learn of all I do when I do it. I want you to learn from me at a safe distance, and once I feel you've had enough preparation we'll move to some hands-on experience – this is provided you accept my previous offer. Also, I like to be on polite terms with others, so it would be in your best interest to do as I say and not raise your voice against me as it would be an ill choice to test my temper; I'm not as kind and merciful when I'm angry. Things get broken.

"Further more, on the rare occasion that I have a visitor, you need to keep yourself out of sight unless I decide otherwise at a later date. Do you understand?"

Haruhi nodded.

"Good," he said while smiling.

"But," she began, and Nekozawa dropped his smile, "I'll be lonely," she finished. Nekozawa stared at her for a split second before he started laughing.

"Oh, is that all? You won't be lonely; you'll have me, and when I'm gone you have the animals to keep you company, not to mention I have hundreds of books to keep you busy – both for entertainment and studying. Imagine that; you'll finally have proper schooling after staying here a while. I bet not many girls have that opportunity, eh? Especially pretty ones like you. I'll bet your parents expected you to get married soon and start a family with the first foolish suitor they met in your youth. Am I right?"

Haruhi blushed and looked down at her twiddling fingers. "We never signed any contract for an arranged marriage. My father wouldn't allow it. He and my mother managed to break the cycle and marry for each other and they wished for me to do the same."

"Well, good for them," he said, "at least that eliminates the chances of your betrothed gathering a group and hunting me down in an effort to rescue you. Without a doubt, I would win, but it's so much less troublesome if no one came at all."

"What about my father? What if he gathers a group and comes to my aid?" she asked.

"Oh, I don't think he will. He and your mother will be distraught at your sudden absence, but neither of them would dare neglect the baby in an attempt to find you, especially since you ran away."

"And how will they know I ran away? They might think I was kidnapped."

"Oh, I highly doubt that. You practically cleaned out your room, and if you really were kidnapped everything would still be left in your room. They might try and look for you, at a later date, but we shouldn't have to worry about that if your body turns up."

Haruhi snapped her head up to him and her eyes grew wide and her body became numb.

"Oh, not literally, of course," he added when he saw her expression, "but I can easily make a clay corpse. I'll even let you choose how you'll _die_, won't that be fun?" Her eyes began tearing up and Nekozawa quickly changed the topic. "I'll be taking you to the tailor later today to supply you with a new wardrobe. The outfit you wear over there will be the only one you'll get to keep – all of your other clothes will be disposed of accordingly. So, choose carefully. I won't have you looking like a heathen - you're not a farm girl anymore. You may take a moment to change in the bedroom; your bags are under your bed. We'll leave when you are finished."

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**Naraku's Phoenix****:** Thanks to everyone who has reviewed so far and to all of this story's readers. I won't dally too much on author's notes each chapter as I have done in the past, so please know that I appreciate all of your support. I look forward to the continuation of this particular fan fiction, and any questions or concerns you address in a review I will be more than happy to send you a reply. Ja ne!


	5. Travel to the City

While Nekozawa finished cleaning up the kitchen area, Haruhi disappeared behind the bedroom's blanket door and had pulled the rucksack containing all of her clothes out from under the bed. She dumped the contents out onto her comforter and began sifting through the various textiles. There were a few small things Haruhi wanted to keep, like her mother's scarf and her deceased grandmother's pendant so, taking Nekozawa seriously, she set them aside to be incorporated with whichever dress she decided to wear. And let's just say there wasn't much of a selection. She pulled on her most decent set of undergarments followed by a light blue dress with white trimming and matching blue polka dots. She tied the apron she sewed herself around her waist and, since it wasn't cold enough to wear the scarf properly, she looped and knotted it around the belt of her apron. Finally, she clasped the pendant securely around her neck and slipped on her only pair of shoes, and to top it all off she tied that all too familiar handkerchief onto her head to keep her hair back. Satisfied with her appearance Haruhi bid farewell to the rest of her garments and exited the room. Nekozawa was waiting for her by the front door dressed in his hooded cloak and ready to go.

He gave her a scrutinizing gaze up and down before helping her put on one of his older cloaks. The once black garment had faded into a subtle shade of gray and seemed to engulf the small girl and was bound to drag all over the ground, but since it was one he didn't wear anymore Nekozawa didn't mind how overwhelmingly dirty it would soon become. Nekozawa had with him a rucksack that was slung over his shoulder and as the two of them exited the house he had grabbed a tall walking staff that was previously leaned up against the doorframe. The two of them then set off into the direction of a town Haruhi had never been to, let alone heard of, before. Apparently it was one of the ritzier towns run by the nobles of the central kingdom. Once they set foot off of his property Nekozawa wrapped his free arm around Haruhi's shoulders and pulled her in so that their sides were pressed fully against one another. Haruhi made no comment at this as she followed his lead out of the swampy terrain. After a while she let her eyes sweep around and take in the surroundings.

At a reasonable pace it took them twenty minutes to get out of the swampland and cut through the forest that would lead them to a road. Nekozawa had relinquished his arm from around Haruhi's shoulders in order to help lift her across the uneven forest ground. This path in the forest took another fifteen minutes out of their time.

"Neko-sensei?" she asked once they were walking on the main road, "Wouldn't it be easier to ride a horse rather than walking all of this way?" Nekozawa looked thoughtful for a moment and put his fingers on his chin.

"I suppose, but you know, I've never been really fond of the beasts and in return have never learned to ride one. Besides, I've just been walking so much over the years that I've gotten used to it, but I didn't think about you at all, did I? Would you like a break?"

"No, thank you. I can manage."

Nekozawa smiled and placed his arm around her shoulders once more. He seemed a little too comfortable with this position, and Haruhi wasn't sure what to make of it. Another thirty minutes and the two of them found themselves at the city gates. Nekozawa showed something to the guards and they were then allowed passage.

The city was unlike anything Haruhi had ever seen. Compared to it her village held the aesthetics of a pile of old rags. There were shops everywhere with colorful signs and pristine glass windows; carriages cruising about the paved roads were being pulled by majestic and well-cared-for horses. Everything was clean as far as she could tell and the lords and ladies of the land walked about in the happy sunshine seeming without a care in the world, very much matching the glow in which their children carried. Looking at all of the light and colors and the many people that populated the area, Haruhi started realizing how out of place Nekozawa, especially, and she must have looked; but, the city-dwellers paid no mind as the two of them went about their business.

Nekozawa first led Haruhi into a furniture store where they were greeted by a stout and robust man.

"Ah, Umehito-chan! It's nice to see you again. Has the Father Superior been keeping you busy? It's been a while since we've seen you in these parts."

"Ah, yes. I've been traveling and conducting some missionary work as of late. Father Superior only let me out of the monasteries today so I could spend time with my little sister," explained Nekozawa; with his arm still wrapped around her shoulders he squeezed Haruhi in a brief half-hug for emphasis. Haruhi was about to unveil an expression of confusion until she glanced down and caught sight of rosary beads looped around his belt and dangling down the front of his robes. Haruhi remained suspicious, but said nothing of the matter in front of the storekeeper.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, miss," He said, "Your brother is very famous 'round these parts; I've never met someone so dedicated to the Book that he would travel to such great lengths as to spread the word. Now, what can I do for you?"

"My sister has been promised to a prominent young lad across the Aisles and our father has set us out in his place to build up a suitable dowry, and I immediately thought that the fine craftsmanship of one of your masterpieces would be undoubtedly suitable, indeed."

"I am flattered that you think so highly of my skills, and all the luck to you, miss. I hope your betrothed treats you well. Now, were you thinking of anything in particular?"

"A nice wooden trunk - one with a heavy lock."

"Ah, a fine memento for storing all of your precious keepsakes," said the shopkeeper addressing Haruhi, "right this way." The shopkeeper turned around and headed towards the back of the room and Nekozawa and Haruhi followed him. He led them to a section dedicated entirely to trunks and Nekozawa finally let go of Haruhi's shoulders in order to stoop down and inspect them.

"We'll take this one in the middle," he said. Haruhi looked at the one he selected as he and the storekeeper began negotiating a price. The dark wood was smooth and polished and was lined with heavy, yet very decorative, iron. The top was rounded and overall the piece looked rather stable. When the storekeeper left to retrieve the key, Nekozawa turned and smiled at Haruhi. "It's yours," he said, "We'll be putting your new clothes in it for the journey home, but after that you may use it as you please." Footsteps could be heard approaching and Nekozawa returned his attention to the storekeeper once more.

"Here you are, Umehito-chan," he said while handing over a medium sized matching key.

"Thank you," replied Nekozawa, and in return he gave him four gold coins. Nekozawa dropped the key in his rucksack and motioned for Haruhi to help him carry the trunk by grabbing the handle on the other side. The two men bid each other a cheerful farewell and the young couple left the store to journey to the tailor. Haruhi returned her attention to all the various shops up and down the streets.

"Neko-sensei, if this town is closer to your home than mine, why not travel here to buy your goods?"

"Ah, well, as you may have noticed I'm known as a monk in this area. I can't drop by too often, and I can't very well be buying things left and right; monks are supposed to live in poverty. People get suspicious. Besides, I like the long journey, and the goods are cheaper compared to here." Haruhi nodded in understanding and he continued. "Wait until you see the town where people know the truth about me and everyone is my friend." He grinned evilly and the sight frightened her, even if he didn't mean for it to. They stopped in front of the tailor's and let themselves in, trunk and all.

The tailor was a man considerably older than the man in the furniture store and Nekozawa retold the tale of her dowry. The tailor didn't so much as glance at Haruhi as he asked Nekozawa what her husband-to-be would like her to be seen in. Haruhi was offended but didn't let it show, and instead, opted for blocking out the two men's conversation and looking at the different patterns on the bolts of fabric. It seemed like a good while until Haruhi was thrust up onto a stool and the old man was taking all sorts of tedious measurements. Once he recorded them, he ushered Haruhi and Nekozawa out the door.

"My sons and I will have your order finished this evening. I expect your father gave you enough money to afford this?" the tailor said rather rudely.

"Indeed he has," replied Nekozawa. He and Haruhi then picked the trunk up, again, and left the store.

"Ooh, Nekozawa-san, is that you?" asked a voice from behind. Nekozawa turned and smiled at the middle-aged woman. Haruhi followed his lead and circled around with the other side of the trunk.

"Indeed it is," he replied, "and how are you this fine day, Kaede-sama?"

"Oh, just splendid! I'm only doing a bit of window shopping," said Kaede, "and who is this young lady?"

"This is my sister; my father requested me in his stead to build a suitable dowry for her."

"Well, congratulations, young miss! I see you've already selected a few things; tell me, is there anything I can do to help?"

"Well, actually," said Nekozawa, "I'd actually like to visit the pastor for a while, but my sister still needs a few _private_ things, if you catch my drift, and being not only a man, but a man of my profession, it would be utterly inappropriate for me to accompany her to such a shop."

"Oh, yes, of course! I would be happy to help," smiled Kaede.

"Thank you, then," said Nekozawa, then he turned to Haruhi, "Haruhi, this is Takahashi Kaede, and she's the councilman's wife, she'll take good care of you…" Kaede was so busy smiling she paid no attention to when Nekozawa lowered his voice and spat in Haruhi's ear, "If you so much as utter a word about me or who you really are I'll throw that baby to the gators and make you slit your parents' throats!" Haruhi had a sharp intake of breath and her eyes felt like they had popped out of her skull as she looked at Nekozawa in pure fear. He raised his voice again and replaced his pleasant demeanor, "Ah, don't worry, dear sister, I won't be long. Kaede-sama has had three daughters of her own, so she'll be sure to get you everything you need." Nekozawa retrieved a purse full of coins and handed it to Kaede, "These are the funds our father handed over for the materialistic portion of the dowry. I trust you will look after it?"

Kaede blushed and accepted the purse, "Of course! Oh, dear," she said to Haruhi, "you look pale, have you eaten, yet?" she returned her attention back to Nekozawa, "You don't mind if we take a little detour to my house first, do you?"

"Not at all," said Nekozawa. He then relinquished Haruhi's hold on the trunk and hefted it up so that he was carrying it one-handed on his shoulder. Kaede marveled at his strength and looked very appreciative at the muscles of his forearm when the sleeve of his cloak slipped down. "I'll see you ladies later this evening, then."

Nekozawa parted and Haruhi had to take a few moments to regain her composure. Kaede paid no heed to this and merely dragged Haruhi to her house where they ate lunch. After that the two women walked back to town and Haruhi discovered what Nekozawa meant by _private_ things. Kaede had led her into a store that sold undergarments. They bought various petticoats and slips and, much to Haruhi's embarrassment, Kaede had insisted they buy a few sets of bridal undergarments for the groom's _viewing pleasure_. Haruhi reluctantly allowed the old woman to purchase these things, not wanting to blow her and Nekozawa's cover. At the next store they purchased a fully stocked sewing kit and a plain whicker basket which they took to the open market and filled with various fruits. The fruit was a frivolous venture, but when Haruhi mentioned she had never tasted an orange before, Kaede insisted that she take some back home with her. At the sight of her shoes Haruhi was immediately whisked away to the cobbler to have some new ones fashioned for her. She ended up with some outdoor boots that extended over her ankle, two pairs of dainty heels with buckles, house shoes, and a pair of black knee-high boots that pointed at the toe and lifted the heel and inch or so. They bought more aprons and handkerchiefs and other accessories here and there. When they were finished they waited for Nekozawa outside the door of the church, and Haruhi was actually surprised when he emerged from the entrance ten minutes later, trunk in tow.

The sky had darkened by that point and Kaede handed over Nekozawa's change while Haruhi began packing the trunk with their purchases – it was almost stuffed full by the time she was finished. Kaede bid her goodnights and the small group separated with Haruhi and Nekozawa heading towards the tailor's again. Her dresses were wrapped in brown paper and Nekozawa idly stuffed them on top of everything in the trunk. The tailor grunted thanks when Nekozawa handed him the gold and the pair left for the streets again. Instead of walking back to Nekozawa's house like Haruhi had dreaded, they hitched a ride in a hay wagon that was going to be passing by near the swamp. The trunk was secured neatly behind them and Haruhi and Nekozawa sat next to each other with their legs dangling over the rear. The wagon started moving, and Nekozawa took the opportunity to start a conversation.

"I'm very pleased that you kept your promise, Haruhi. I'll have to give you a treat when we get home." He smiled and Haruhi swallowed.

"It wasn't," she began, and Nekozawa looked at her stoically, "It wasn't really necessary to make such a vivid threat," she trembled, "I gave my person to you willingly and have already agreed to abide by your rules." Much to Haruhi's distaste, Nekozawa wrapped his arm around her shoulders again and pulled her to lean in his chest.

"I'm sorry, that was incredibly rude of me. Sometimes my Specter can't control itself. Bereznoff can be quite the pain."

"Bereznoff?"

"Yes," replied Nekozawa, "He shares my soul. I'll tell you more about him another time. Just know I'll do better to control him, especially tomorrow night."

"What's happening tomorrow night?"

"Shh…go to sleep, now," cooed Nekozawa softly, "I'll wake you when we get there."


	6. New Clothes

**Naraku's Phoenix****: **Just so I get this out of the way…In case any of you are wondering if the other characters from OHSHC are going to be a part of this story, don't worry, they will be. I just need to get Haruhi settled in with Nekozawa before I introduce anyone else. Remember the summary? _**Sorcery and knighthood…**_ Guess who the knights are. So, bear with me folks. I trust that it will be worth the wait.

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When the wagon stopped Haruhi was gently shaken awake as Nekozawa had promised. In return Haruhi kept the bitter comments to herself. She was not a fan of his magically induced sleeps, and it unsettled her that he could place them on her any time he pleased. The two hopped off the wagon and unloaded the trunk and Haruhi's fruit basket, and they silently began their trek through the dank terrain once the wagon was out of earshot. Nekozawa conjured a ball of blue fire to lead them home, and a shimmer of relief flooded through Haruhi when they were inside the house and had dropped the trunk. They dragged it into the bedroom and immediately started unpacking it.

While Haruhi was pulling out the various bags and parcels Nekozawa was busy removing his cloak and folding it for future use. Once again his gleaming blonde hair captured Haruhi's attention, and she began to wonder if she'd ever get used to seeing him without his hood.

The two of them sat on the floor while they unwrapped all of the packages, and Nekozawa had seized the thick brown paper that encased Haruhi's new dresses. She was curious to see what he picked out for her, but let it slide when he merely set it aside and started finding places around the house to put her other new things. Haruhi was left in the bedroom sitting next to the taunting brown paper, and she gingerly began untying the knotted string when curiosity got the better of her. She was about to peel back the paper when Nekozawa returned. He gave a silent laugh when she quickly pulled away with the embarrassment of being caught. He picked up the heavy parcel and helped Haruhi to her feet.

"Try them on," he said, "I want to know what you think." The first set of garments he pulled out surprised Haruhi, for they were a set of fitted trousers and a long-sleeved shirt with a vest; the shirt was stark white – something she had never thought existed – and the vest and trousers were a matching dark green trimmed in earthy browns.

"I don't know from personal experience," said Nekozawa, "but it seems there are occasions where dresses are less practical."

"Thank you," said Haruhi.

"Not at all," he dismissed, "Well, try them on."

Haruhi waited for Nekozawa to leave the room and give her some privacy, but he was about to do no such thing. In the end Haruhi turned her back to him and changed that way. When she was fully clothed again, she turned around for him to see. Nekozawa eyed her appreciatively and nodded in approval.

"I wasn't sure which colors suited you best, so I got a bit of everything."

Haruhi nodded and turned around to try on the rest of her new clothes, which were all dresses, all the while remaining embarrassed, though never arguing, that he was watching her. After she had tried on the final dress, she decided she would keep it on until she dressed for bed; not feeling the need to change more than she felt was necessary. By the time she turned around again, she saw Nekozawa sifting through the package that wrapped her new knickers. As if her face couldn't get any more red, it just did. Nekozawa grinned.

"Kaede-san really came through," he said, "It's been a while since I've seen a woman wrapped in silk."

Haruhi huffed and turned her head.

"Why?" he asked, "Does that surprise you?"

"Just a little, Neko-sensei."

"Well, in any case I'm usually quite the gentleman."

"Is that to inquire that sometimes you aren't a gentleman?" she asked him.

"Only when Bereznoff takes over. Which reminds me, about tomorrow night," he made sure Haruhi was paying attention before continuing, "I have a ritual I perform once every other week where I submit myself to my subconscious and Bereznoff and I switch places. The exchange lasts for approximately twelve hours and will take place in the nighttime hours. I'll put a charm around your bed to prevent me from unintentionally harming you, and I expect you to go to bed before twilight sets in so you don't have to witness my chaotic state. If, for whatever reason, you awake during my ritual, it is very important that you don't step outside of the circle. I can't guarantee your safety if you do. Do you understand?"

Haruhi nodded, drinking in every word.

"Good," he said, "Time for bed, then."


	7. The Ritual, Among Other Things

Haruhi didn't see much of Nekozawa the next day, so she busied herself with the animals. She had put on the dress she wore out to town yesterday because she thought all of her new clothes looked to clean and pretty to be ruined. In the barn she discovered that he had quite a few chickens – some of them hanging dead from the ceiling – two cows, and a very old goat. The smell disgusted her, but throughout the day she cleaned their droppings, exchanged their hay, and fed them. After milking the cows she brought the buckets into Nekozawa's house and dropped them off in the kitchen. The wizard was still nowhere to be seen.

Then, feeling fully disgusting – the smell radiating off of her backed her up – she grabbed her nightgown and a towel and made her way into the bathing area. She filled the tub and scrubbed every speck of dirt off of her body. Only when she was convinced that her body smelled entirely like lavender did she step out of the tub and dry off. Haruhi pulled on her nightgown and shoved her dirty clothes in the hamper so she could wash them tomorrow. When she re-entered the main room she could smell dinner wafting from the cast iron stove and, instead of seeing Nekozawa, she merely heard him moving about in the bedroom. She remained standing in front of the blanket door she came out of, unsure if it would be appropriate to either sit down or approach him. The wait wasn't long, though, for Nekozawa came walking out of the bedroom shortly after.

He was dressed in crimson and crème attire, and he looked devilishly handsome. Haruhi blushed and opted for twiddling a piece of wet hair rather than looking at him. She missed his smile and was startled when he placed a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry I haven't been good company, today. I've been preparing for my ritual. I saw what you were doing in the barn, though. I'm impressed you've worked so diligently. I never thought I'd see the day when I'd meet a girl who isn't afraid to get dirty," he said, "This'll be fun."

"I'm glad that I could please you," replied Haruhi.

Nekozawa frowned. "Is that how you really think?" he asked her, "I know generally the status of women isn't very elevated, but I'd rather have a woman walk beside me rather than behind me."

"I've been thinking about your offer, you know."

"Oh, really?"

"Yes," she said, "and…I've decided to accept the position as your apprentice, provided that you will help me with furthering my conventional education; I want to learn what the boys are learning, too."

Nekozawa was ecstatic with her response and his whole face brightened up. Shocking Haruhi he pulled her into a full body hug so that she fit snugly into his torso. Haruhi blushed and let her hands rest on his chest since she couldn't really move them. He buried his face in her hair. "Oh, of course! You won't regret it, Haruhi! I'll be the best teacher ever!" He held his grip around her small form and Haruhi could feel his body shaking from adrenaline. When he pulled away his face practically radiated with pure happiness, and Haruhi couldn't help but feel happy as well.

'It'll be better than shoveling manure every time I turn around,' she thought.

"I'm still a little wary of magic," she reminded him, "so we'll have to take it slow."

"I promise," he said, "Are you hungry?"

"Very," she replied sheepishly.

"Well, good. I've been saving this salted meat, and I had a feeling tonight would be a special occasion. Welcome to the ranks of sorcery."

"…Thank you..." she said unsurely.

"Now, after we eat you must go directly to bed. I can't finish placing the seal until you're inside of the circle." Haruhi nodded and the two of them sat down to dinner.

When Nekozawa tucked Haruhi into bed, he gave her a kiss on the forehead and stepped back to look at her.

"One thing you need to remember about this circle is that you have the power to get out, but nothing else can get in. I'm not quite sure what Bereznoff thinks of you, yet, so if he tries to coax you out of the boundary lines, I highly recommend you ignore him. It will be my body, but his mind, and I don't want you to get hurt. Understand?" Haruhi slowly nodded. "Very well, I trust your judgment." And with that Nekozawa ran his hand over Haruhi's eyes and closed them. She immediately fell asleep. He looked over her peaceful form and drank in her features.

He gave her another kiss – this time next to her mouth – before he stepped back and completed the seal. Nekozawa then ventured to his room full of relics and began the ritual.

Haruhi had been asleep for a few hours until her eyes fluttered open in response to a bad dream. She yawned and rubbed her eyes. It didn't take her long to notice the nearby presence. When she turned over on her right side she saw Nekozawa standing five feet or so away with his head cocked to the side, blankly staring at her.

Haruhi silently gasped and was transfixed in his gaze. After what seemed like an eternity, Nekozawa – or Bereznoff, as she eventually remembered – seemed to get bored and walked away without saying a word. Haruhi's hammering heart calmed down after a while, and for the first time in two days she fell asleep of her own accord.

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**Naraku's Phoenix****:** Don't be afraid to review, people! Feel free to critique, give suggestions, or guess about future events. I want to know how this story is appealing to readers. Also, I admit it! I'm as review hungry as the rest of you. XP


	8. In Sickness and In Health

Haruhi awoke the next morning feeling very warm and content. After stretching she shoved the covers aside and sat up while she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. Once her vision cleared, she looked over at Nekozawa's bed and saw that it was empty and made. No one had slept there that night.

Assuring herself that it was safe to step outside of the magical circle that was drawn around her bed Haruhi softly stepped across the hard wooden floor in search of her sensei. It didn't take long to find him; Nekozawa was passed out, face-down, on the floor. Haruhi's heart jumped and she quickly ran over to him and dropped to her knees. Gently, she rolled him over on his back and assessed the situation.

She put a hand on his chest and leaned her ear down to check if he was breathing. He was. She then began moving her hands across his various limbs and joints to see if he was physically harmed in any way. He wasn't. She cupped his face with her hand and found that his cheeks were flushed and his forehead was particularly warm.

The black wizard Nekozawa with a healing gift…had a fever.

This new information disturbed Haruhi to no end and she frantically went to fetch various items from around the house. She placed a pillow under his head and tucked him in a blanket so that he may sweat the sickness out, and then she filled the pitcher in the bathing area with cool water and brought with her several washcloths to soak. She placed one damp cloth on his sweating forehead, the other around the back of his neck. There wasn't much else she could do for him now other than keeping an eye on him and switching out the washcloths periodically. Haruhi rolled up the sleeves of her nightgown and tied her hair in a braided plait.

She decided to make some tea.

With a hot mug of tea at her side, Haruhi snuggled into the rocking chair with the quilt from her bed and one of Nekozawa's books. She struggled to read the thick textbook; there were many strange and unfamiliar words and several passages were written in a funny language. Haruhi figured she must have selected a magick book, but twenty pages dedicated to various types of seals and symbols indicated this was a book of alchemy. She must have been reading for well over an hour when her eyes began to droop and she sank into the warmth that the quilt preserved, and the hot tea she consumed was rather calming to her senses.

Haruhi fell asleep, and it was around that time that Nekozawa began to stir.

He began rousing alongside his consciousness and fluttered his eyes open until his vision cleared. This took a few moments, and it wasn't long after that when a migraine and nausea settled in. Nekozawa struggled to reach the healing gift in the depths of his soul and mustered only enough to cure the nausea. Once that was settled he became more than aware of the blanket he was wrapped up and sweating in and the damp washcloth that ended up adjusting to his temperature from lack of being changed. Removing these things he sat up and stretched as best he could; lying on the hard, flat surface for more than a few hours – he was sure – had made his back knotted and sore. He then forced himself into a standing position and held still as the dizziness dissipated from his senses.

It was always like this afterwards.

Nekozawa would regain his strength by the end of the day, and usually he would force unconsciousness and sleep upon himself until sunset when he could summon his Gift and fully recover from the expenses of his ritual.

His vision cleared and he stared at Haruhi snoozing in his rocking chair and then looked back at the mess of rags and blankets he left on the floor.

He wouldn't do it this time, he decided. For once in his life, he would let someone take care of him. He tried walking and immediately collapsed. Haruhi was awoken by the sudden disturbance, and she wasted no time in dropping to the floor and aiding him. She swung one of his arms around her shoulders and shifted his weight onto hers while she helped him to his bed. He was sweating profusely and more than likely very disoriented, so Haruhi took care in undressing him. She got him down to his skivvies and tucked him in bed and then fetched him some cool water which she dabbed on his face and helped him drink. Haruhi remained silent and refrained from asking questions, just the same as Nekozawa who was relishing the feeling of being cared for, despite the misery of his temporary illness.

Haruhi spent the day nursing him and cleaning up the things Bereznoff knocked over the night before. She changed into a lavender pullover with a white apron tied around the front and kept her hair braided. Nekozawa watched her every movement when she came into view and looked at her almost lovingly. His eyes were lucid and glazed over and his hair was damp and sticking to the pillow and his skin.

"Do you feel better?" she eventually asked. The sudden sound of her voice startled Nekozawa, and he had to wait for the thudding pound of his heart to settle before he could answer her.

"…Yes…thank you," he whispered.

"Are you hungry?"

"No, not at the moment, but don't worry about me. I'll be perfectly healthy before the night runs out."

Haruhi nodded in understanding and fetched him another cup of cool water. She helped him to the bathroom, and then retrieved a book for him at his request. Nekozawa guessed she must have been used to this sort of thing, and after remembering the sight of her sickly mother, he didn't need long to figure out that Haruhi was her mother's primary caregiver.

'Such a selfless girl,' he thought, 'She is growing on me more and more each day,' he mused, 'What do you think of her Bereznoff?'

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**Naraku's Phoenix****:** To reiterate for one of my reviewers, the other OHSHC characters **WILL** be appearing in this story. Haruhi will be with Nekozawa for a while – obtaining magick skills, among other things – and the two of them will form a relatively trusting relationship. Also, I need Haruhi to learn some magick before the story can progress.


	9. Conversation With My Specter

**Naraku's Phoenix****:** Just to clarify, this entire chapter/conversation is taking place inside of Nekozawa's mind.

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'What do you think of her Bereznoff?' Nekozawa mused.

"_I want to snap her pretty little neck!"_

'So you think she's pretty, too?'

"_Baka, always the foolish Romantic. No doubt I find her interesting, but she'll turn out just like all the others and you know it!"_

'Somehow, I highly doubt that. She's going to be my student, you know.'

"_So I've heard," _drawled Bereznoff, _"But she'll realize what she's gotten herself into sooner or later, and she'll push you away like the rest. You may have your pleasantries amongst people, but you've never been one for friends."_

'Why are you so threatened by her?'

"_Why are you so affectionate with her?"_

'I'm not entirely sure, but is it so wrong to want to be loved?'

"_You've been loved before."_

'Not that kind of love; I want the forever kind.'

"_Again with your masochistic romanticism, you stupid boy! Why do you insist on hurting yourself this way? She'll leave you sooner or later, after she's realized what a mistake she's made."_

'You're wrong,' snapped Nekozawa, 'She's going to be my student and my companion. Someone I can finally call a true friend and relate to. She'll be there to take care of me like she's done today, and I'll do the same for her. We'll never been lonely again.'

"_You might not be lonely, but what about her? You should have gone ahead and let me play with her instead of keeping me out with that silly little circle of yours."_

Nekozawa smiled inwardly, 'As if you would play nice.'

"_I wouldn't be too rough with her…at least not the first time."_

'You, my friend, are a sadist.'

"_And you're a masochist, if I may so pointedly reiterate myself."_

'Which is why we balance each other out so well; we're the perfect blend of yin and yang.'

"_Not since _she_ came into our lives. Why did you have to accept her offer, anyway? We could have easily turned her down and let her mother die! We should have let her die! She should have died! She should die! …Let's kill her…"_

'Now, now Bereznoff, let's not be hasty. If Haruhi behaves me like she should it won't have to come to that.'

"_And how long will that last? It'll just end with her hurting you, anyway, so why put off the inevitable? Let's just kill her and get it over with! There's so many ways to do it; we can make it quick and clean if that makes you feel any better."_

'You don't really want to hurt her.'

"_What makes you think that?"_

'I know you,' Nekozawa simply stated, 'you're just as fascinated as I am. You want to keep her all to yourself, and you're _pissed_ because I won't let you get near her. You're only saying these things to upset me.'

"_Hmph!"_

'And you know I'm right. I also know that you like looking at her, that you want to talk to her, and you want to touch her.'

"_Think what you will, but you still need to put us before her. Don't let your own studies and goals slip just because you're taking time out for that girl."_

'Those who teach retain eighty percent-"

"_And you'll be teaching her _white_ magick, of all things! What is up with that?"_

'I just want her to be comfortable. We'll move onto the darker aspects when she's ready.'

"_Ever the optimistic."_

'Ever the pessimistic.'

The two of them remained silent for a moment while Haruhi came in to check up on Nekozawa and bring him some soup. It was as if he and Bereznoff didn't want to be distracted from the young woman before them, and they halted their conversation as if Haruhi knew there were more than two people in the room. When she left they resumed talking.

"_I suppose she isn't so bad, but it will take a lot of warming up for her to trust me."_

'As if I would ever let you have the opportunity to gain her trust. I'm putting that circle around her every damn time you take control.'

"_Ouch. Then I guess I'll have to try harder. The most you can do is warn her, but I'll have the final say. And then I'll use your hands to claw her face and draw blood from her skin-"_

'Oh, shut up,' Nekozawa calmly commanded, 'I need some sleep.'


	10. Hand Holding and White Dresses

When Haruhi had examined Nekozawa later that night, true to his word he was perfectly healthy. His temperature returned to normal and his breathing was no longer uneven and shallow. The man before her was now consumed in sleep, but she replaced the damp washcloths just to be on the safe side. With that taken care of she changed into her nightgown and slipped under her own covers, all the while wondering what the next day would be like.

Once morning came, it was Nekozawa who awoke first. He peeled off the damp cloths and scooted out of bed. Now standing up, he stretched his sore muscles and sauntered off to the bathing area to wash his face. Feeling fully awake and refreshed, Nekozawa returned to his room to get dressed for the day. He gazed at Haruhi while he pulled on his tunic and trousers.

She was sleeping soundly and had one arm slung carelessly over her head. The covers were bunched up all around her and the sleeves of her dressing gown were pushed up above her elbows. Her hair was coming loose from the plait and Nekozawa just couldn't stop staring at her!

'I could get used to this,' he thought.

It was about that moment when the thought crossed his mind that Haruhi began rousing.

First, Nekozawa noted, she yawned and arched her back a little ways to relieve some of the stiffness in her muscles. Next, she scrunched up her arms before rolling on her stomach and extending them again. From there she pushed up against the bed post and did a perfect cat stretch. Nekozawa was thrilled at how remarkably feline-like she presented herself. A few more stretches and yawns later and Haruhi was ready to face the day. Nekozawa was sitting on his bed by this point, and Haruhi didn't notice his prolonged staring at her.

"Good morning, Neko-sensei," she greeted after another long yawn.

"Good morning, Haruhi," he replied, "Are you ready to start your first day as my apprentice?"

"…I suppose…" she said after awhile, a little downhearted. Nekozawa became a little irked at her tone, but continued anyway.

"Well, as I've stated before, you'll be shadowing me for a bit until I feel you're ready to try some hands on approaches. Observation only today and then tomorrow…we'll see."

"What about regular lessons?" she asked.

"You'll receive the extra education if, and only if, you do well in your magic lessons. We'll switch off lessons every other day. The schedule is subject to change, of course, depending on how well you do and what mood I just happen to be in." Nekozawa smiled but Haruhi did not look amused. Instead, she stared at him blank-faced and slipped out of bed. Without a word she walked over to him and rested the back of her hand on his forehead.

"How are you feeling?" she asked.

"Much better, thank you," he replied, lightly blushing under her touch. Grabbing her wrist he gently pulled her hand away and laced his fingers with hers. "Thank you for taking care of me. I've never had anybody go to such lengths for me before so, I guess that means I'm indebted to you."

"Oh, no need to go that far. I didn't do anything for that I wouldn't have done for my family."

That word broke Nekozawa's heart…and in return, made him snap.

He clenched his grip overpowering Haruhi's – their fingers still laced – and she winced at the tension of her bones readying to fracture. Her breath caught and her eyes went wide at the sudden pain, and when that was out of the way her mind caught up to her physical being and there was rage written across Nekozawa's every visible feature. And what's more, his eyes changed colors.

No longer the bright ice blue that Haruhi had been attracted to, but instead they were now a nasty shade of yellow. The color didn't sit right with Haruhi and it made her stomach violently churn. There was a low growl rumbling in the base of his throat.

"I aM yOuR faMiLy, NoW," he said. A new fear shot through Haruhi.

That was not Nekozawa's voice.

Not even a second later had Haruhi's hand been released and Nekozawa was doubled over cupping his head in his palm. After a while he cleared his senses and brought his head back up to flash a friendly smile. It unnerved Haruhi to no end that Nekozawa could so swiftly change from being polite and gentlemanly to an estranged villain. This was only the second time it happened, but how many more times after this? Haruhi did not smile in return, but instead, looked at him curiously. Nekozawa ignored her and stood up to leave the room.

"I'll get us breakfast while you get changed," he said, "Then we'll start our day."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Haruhi had decided to wear her only set of breeches rather than wearing a dress. She had no idea of what Nekozawa had in store for her and wanted to be on the safe side. After breakfast Nekozawa had given her a thorough tour of his property from the house to the barn to the sheds out back. He pointed out several of the relics that he accumulated over the years and Haruhi stayed silent as he went through them all.

He showed her the various medicines he himself had cultivated and produced, but before Haruhi asked how he tested them she saw a booted leg out of the corner of her eye and the nausea flared up again. Nekozawa noticed this and sweetly offered her a vile filled with thick purple liquid.

The last room he showed her was the room in which he performed his bimonthly ritual. It was quite bare compared to the others, but every bit as strange. The walls were mirrors and there were tall candlesticks in every corner. The ceiling and the floor were painted black and two lush, narrow carpets extended from wall to wall, intersecting one another so the shape they made was an **X**. The carpets were stark white and nearly blinded her.

"It doesn't look like much," he agreed, "but my ritual takes a lot of concentration. I can't have too many objects in here lest I be distracted, and if Bereznoff isn't let out promptly it could mean ill things for me."

"Does he hurt you if you don't let him out?" Haruhi found herself asking.

"Let's just say it's not very healthy," replied Nekozawa.

"Oh, okay."

Nekozawa took hold of Haruhi's hand and led her out of the room. From there, he pulled her into their bedroom and let go of her so he could rummage in his closet. He pulled out a small, flat trunk and set it on his bed.

"Come here," he said, "I want to show you something."

Haruhi joined him at his bedside and watched him unlock the hinges. He lifted the lid and pulled out a stunning gown. The gown was white silk with gold threading and the figure was slim, indeed. There were a few more items in the trunk; one of which, Haruhi noticed, was a gold circlet with a pearl set in the middle. Nekozawa set aside the trunk and splayed the gown across his comforter.

"My mother was an enchantress, and this is all she left me," he said, "Maybe you'll wear it one day. I'd like you to," he quickly added. Haruhi walked around the bed examining the gown; only looking, never touching. She was afraid the silk would become stained if she laid but one fingertip on it. She smiled appreciatively, but gave no other response. This was good enough for Nekozawa as he smiled back with glee and began the process of repacking the dress. Once the trunk was replaced, Haruhi shocked them both by standing before him and cupping his cheeks in her hands.

Nekozawa stood staring at her, speechless.

"Your eyes change colors," she finally said. Nekozawa grabbed her hand and pulled them down away from his face.

"My eyes don't change, but sometimes Bereznoff shows through," he sighed, "I apologize for the display you witnessed this morning. I will do better to control him. He can't fully take over in between the rituals, but he can still make his appearances…I'm sorry to say he's not very fond of you." He let go of Haruhi's hands only to have her step forward and embrace him. To say he was shocked was an understatement, but he welcomed her nonetheless.

She pressed the side of her head against his chest, and he returned the gesture by wrapping his arms over her shoulders and around the back of her head.

She cried for everything she lost, and he cried for everything he gained.


	11. Just Talking

"How is your penmanship?" asked Nekozawa.

He and Haruhi were currently settled at the kitchen table surrounded by a large portion of Nekozawa's book collection and stacks of parchment – both blank and compiled with notes and diagrams.

"Not very extensive," she embarrassedly admitted, "I can write my name and record numbers and things, but that's about it."

"Wow," said Nekozawa, clearly astonished, "Your village is more backward than I originally thought." Haruhi shot him an expression of hurt. "We'll work on that first, then," he continued, "Writing is an essential element if you want to be productive in life, and some spells require accurate seals to be drawn in order for them to be effective." He handed Haruhi a quill and a bottle of ink after he unrolled a scrap of parchment for her. "On the top half I want you to copy the alphabet, and on the bottom half I want you to draw all of the geometric shapes that you're familiar with." Haruhi nodded and set to work. When she was finished Nekozawa looked it over.

"Overall your letters are fine," he said, "but your shapes are too rounded. Here, let me show you." Nekozawa stood behind Haruhi and cupped his hand around hers with the pen in place, and using this method he guided her in producing straight lines. Haruhi could feel her skin heat up at his proximity, and Nekozawa simply felt elated to be touching her skin. Unconsciously he lowered his head until it was hovering directly over her shoulder.

"I see," said Haruhi, "The school teacher in my village didn't go over shapes so; I had to guess at them."

"Well, luckily for you, you have me as your sensei now," he said, "And I can teach you so much more." Haruhi swallowed and Nekozawa stepped away so as to pull a chair up next to her. "Now, let's see you draw them on your own." He leaned forward and propped his elbow on the table, intently looking at the parchment. Haruhi drew a second set of shapes on the back of the parchment, and she had to admit they looked significantly better than the first.

"Wow!" she exclaimed, surprised with her accomplishment, "Thanks, Neko-sensei! I never knew it could be this simple." Nekozawa laughed.

"As long as you work hard and practice, everything eventually seems simple."

"Is that how it was for you?" she asked, "When did you start learning magick? Who taught you?"

"It was," he beamed, "and sometimes still is. My mother began my lessons when I was very small."

"Was she the one who gave you your healing gift?"

"No, that came from Bereznoff."

"And where did he come from?"

"…Oh, he didn't _come_ from anywhere…he's always been with me. I just wasn't very aware of how really real he was until puberty."

"What did you think he was before?"

"Ah, so many questions," Haruhi blushed and he continued, "I suppose I've always thought of him as an imaginary friend, but as I got older I found out he wasn't so imaginary."

"How?"

"Things…started happening. He would take advantage of me…to a point where I'd have no control. At first he was satisfied with hurting animals, but as I grew his tastes changed and he wanted manipulate and harm people. I…used to have a little sister, you know," his voice softened and he dropped his gaze.

"…Used to?"

"Perhaps I still do. She could have gotten away for all I know."

"I see…"

Nekozawa looked up at her and tried smiling to lighten the mood. "Don't worry; it happened a very long time ago-"

Haruhi stopped him short by scooting over and pulling him down in a warm cuddle. His head was resting on her chest and she had her arms wrapped around him in a loving, maternal-like manner. "Is this the first time you've told anybody?"

He laughed and pulled away before drying his eyes on his sleeve.

"You, my dear, are too kind. Is this how you treat everyone?"

Haruhi brought a finger to her chin in thoughtfulness. "I suppose so," she finally said, "I've never been one to turn down a person in need, and you, Neko-sensei, need a good cry."

He laughed. "Didn't we already go through that yesterday?"

"I've cried all my tears for the moment. You apparently have a long ways to go."

He stared at her for the longest time before decidedly settling in her shoulder letting her wiry arms wrap themselves around him. There was no dramatic sobbing, only Nekozawa's silent tears slipping down his face as he revisited his childhood.

The chaos that ensued when the other children shunned him.

The way he felt when his father died at sea.

Him, crushing the hand of the girl who gave him his first kiss.

The day he ran away from home.

And when he returned, he found that his mother had passed away, and that his sister had been "kidnapped."

Bereznoff, consuming his senses more and more each day.

The exact moment when he put his foot down and took control of his life.

Haruhi stayed with him during his moment of vulnerability, and not once complained or interrupted him. When he felt he had had enough of his trip down memory lane Nekozawa sat up straight and took a deep breath. Haruhi reached up and wiped his stained face with her thumbs.

"Feel better?" she asked.

"I'm getting there," he said, "Now, why don't we get back to our writing lesson?"

Haruhi complied and they spent the rest of the day working on her writing skills. When night came, the two of them decided to make vegetable soup. They were preparing the ingredients when Nekozawa decided it was only fair he should get to know a few things about Haruhi.

"So, besides previously being a village girl who raises chickens, is there anything else spectacular about your life I should know about?"

"Hmm…nothing I can think of."

"Well, then what sort of things do you like to do?"

"I really like to read, but books are so precious it's often hard to get my hands on one. I used to share books with my friend Arai; He would come over every evening to sit beside me and read with me."

"Were you and this…Arai…very close with one another?" He couldn't help the twinge of jealousy that laced his voice.

"We're childhood friends; I've known him for as long as I can remember."

"What's your favorite color?"

"Why are you asking me these questions?" asked Haruhi. There was no taunting or annoyance in her voice; purely curiosity.

"Just tell me about you," he said.

"Oh, well…" Haruhi struggled on where to begin, "I like to think of myself as a rather adventurous person, daring to go where no one has gone before."

"Would I happen to be one of those, by any chance?"

"Oh, most definitely."

Nekozawa laughed at her bluntness.

"And I love fruit," she continued, "especially the smell. I used to spend my summers sitting in the orchards; just loving the sun and the smell of the air. The grass is soft and I would take naps there, too. And the girls and I would go swimming in the creek every time it flooded. I loved doing that the most, even if it was cold out."

"Heh, I don't know how to swim."

"Would you be interested in learning?" asked Haruhi.

"…I just might be."

The two of them finished the soup and ate in silence. Haruhi eyed Nekozawa's book collection with sparkles in her eyes until she selected a nice, pocket-sized book she could take to bed. Nekozawa took a bath while she did this. She was asleep by the time he came back in the bedroom, and he marked her book for her and tucked her in. He had a good feeling about this girl, and Bereznoff tried in vain to convince him otherwise. That night he would have dreams of him and Haruhi swimming in the river, picnicking through the sunset, and laying under the stars while she was kept warm under his cloak.

Bereznoff be damned.


	12. The White Wizard, Kaoru

"When it comes to mixing potions, the process is similar to cooking," explained Nekozawa, "All of the ingredients are essential and need to be measured properly and mixed accordingly. That being said, math is one of your greatest assets."

He and Haruhi were in the kitchen again, but this time, having moved all of the books to the living room, they would physically be concocting a potion. Haruhi flexed her fingers while she listened to Nekozawa talk about teaspoons and fractions, the difference between a pinch and a smidge, and just how dangerous adding a little more or not enough could put a person on the wire between life and death. This only made her more nervous, but Nekozawa promised to see her through every step. They were making a minor sedative, mainly used for calming one's nerves and usually taken mixed within a drink. Haruhi set to doing as much as she could on her own, having excelled in her math studies over the past few days. She had to do a good job, because she would be the one to test her own potion.

Haruhi had been with Nekozawa for nearly two weeks now, and she was beginning to get used to things. She still missed her family and friends to the highest degree, but that's not to say she wasn't trying her hardest to make the best of her situation. No regrets.

That's what she kept telling herself every time she looked at him.

"Hey, be careful with that! Don't put that in!" Nekozawa snapped. Haruhi was brought back to attention and steadied the glass jar before returning to its place on the shelf. She resumed stirring the peppermint scented concoction and put the lid on when Nekozawa instructed. The potion would be simmering for a few hours so it was time to get some schooling in. The two of them ventured to the living area where they sat down among the book strewn floor. Haruhi leaned her back up against the side of the fireplace – which almost looked like a hiding spot if you think about it – and Nekozawa was sitting at an angle in front of her. He shuffled through three different piles of books before he found the one he deemed most suitable. He tossed it to her.

"No conventional education today, kitten, strictly magic. First up: botany. You almost put deadly nightshade in out potion back there. While deadly nightshade is not fatal it does have the potency to knock a person out for several hours. You had the right path of mind, but you need to do some brushing up."

"…Kitten?"

"Ah, yes, I think it suits you. It seems like every little thing you do reminds me of a kitten: clumsiness, your dazed, intelligent expression, stretching after you wake up, curling up on the floor like you are now, and not to mention, you're just plain adorable and so-" Nekozawa stopped speaking abruptly. He immediately snapped his head to one of the windows up front and practically jerked Haruhi to her feet before shoving her into the bedroom. "Get in the closet and don't come out until I retrieve you," he ordered. Nekozawa pushed aside his robes so she could have a spot in the back.

"What's going on?"

"I have a visitor dear, and if you remember correctly one of the rules is that you keep yourself out of sight," he gave her a short kiss on the cheek, "I'll be back for you when he's gone, don't worry." Nekozawa then hurriedly left the room while Haruhi sat in the dark corner of his closet wondering if all the fuss was really necessary.

"Ne, Umehito, you bastard!" she heard through the walls. Whoever the visitor is was outside prodding the wooden door with something heavy. "Let me in before I let myself in, you conniving son of a bitch!"

"If you're referring me to the son of hell's hound, then I'm more likely to be flattered than insulted, you red-headed devil!" Nekozawa greeted back. Haruhi heard the door open and close and now the strange visitor was inside the house.

"Whoa, what are all these books for? Are you cleaning out your references? And what's with the calming potion on the stove; are you irritated? I bet it's because you knew I'd be coming to visit today."

"I'm just brushing up on some of the basics, Kaoru, but now that you mention it I'll have to drink some when you leave."

"Now, why would you say that, and after I travelled all this way just to give you a present?"

"Why are you wasting my time? I've got better things to do, you know."

"Hah, like brushing up on calming potions? That's child's play and you know it. So, what are you hiding? Is Bereznoff making you act weird?"

"I wouldn't put it past him. Besides, it's never a crime to review the basics, especially when you're working on an advanced spell."

"Oh, so it's a new spell! Why didn't you say so? Anyway, I've brought you some pixie dust from the castle's gardens since you said you were running out, and I also brought you some boar skin and my homemade magick wax. What you do with it is up to you. I just need some potions, and none of that peppermint swill, if you please."

"Oh, you're too flattering," grumbled Nekozawa. 'Haruhi can't stay in there forever,' he thought, 'how can I make this bastard leave faster?'

"-and I'd like some medicine for the flu, as well," finished Kaoru while Nekozawa was wrapped in his thoughts.

"Well, then follow me out to the shed and I'll help you pick some out."

Haruhi heard the pair of them leave and let out a loud sigh when she slumped back against the wall, hoping this stranger, Kaoru, would leave before she had to relieve herself.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Nekozawa grudgingly led Kaoru to the sheds out back, all the while thinking of ways he could get rid of his rival as quickly as possible. Compared to the white wizard, Nekozawa looked like quite the commoner. He was wearing a loose, un-tucked, long-sleeved white shirt along with a pair of black breeches and black riding boots. His blonde hair was scraggly and untamed, and a layer of sweat had formed over his body while he was working in the hot kitchen with Haruhi. The humidity of the swamp outside did little to alleviate his mood.

Kaoru, on the other hand, looked calm and cool. He had on a light blue vest over a long-sleeved white shirt with ruffles down the front. Both his breeches and riding boots were a solid white and looked very clean. Over all of this Kaoru wore a large flowing white hooded cloak embroidered with intricate light blue designs. A travelling pack was slung over his shoulder and on the opposite side – in his right hand – he had a long white and silver staff with an unimaginably large pearl at the top surrounded by tear-shaped frames; the staff was a good two feet taller than him. And finally, on his left middle finger, there was a solid gold ring embossed with the royal crest.

Nekozawa unlocked the sheds and ushered Kaoru in; rather, he roughly shoved him on the shoulder and pushed him through the door.

"Hey! Now, what's all the rush? You must be hiding something. I'm sure of it!"

"Just take what you need and leave. I'm very busy today."

"I can see that," Kaoru snickered, "What are you going to make next; stitching syrup?"

"I am a healer, after all. Now, hurry up." Nekozawa was growing more irritated by the second.

Kaoru eyed the half-dead man slumped in the corner of the shed behind the cauldron. "Though, some would find your methods a little uncouth, I hope that this one at least deserved it."

"Deserving is a matter that can never truly be measured. He was just simply at the wrong place at the wrong time. Now, if you don't mind, I'd prefer it if you hauled ass and left. Surely the royal family will not be pleased if they discover that you've been associating with me. The prince, above all else, is not especially thrilled by my existence. Now, do you mind?"

"Alright, alright," went Kaoru as he scanned the shelves for his desired potions, "You want me gone, I get it." He picked up a few bottles and boxes and deftly put them in his pack. Nekozawa seemed to breathe a sigh of relief and held the door open for his dear old friend. The two men stepped out and he relocked the shed.

"You my friend," continued Kaoru, "should get laid…as soon as possible, which reminds me, we have a new courtesan at the palace. Her name's Eclaire. I've tried having a go at her, but she won't let anyone except the prince near her. And even he's keeping his distance. I wonder what her game is. She won't last at palace very long if she keeps this up."

"Please stop with this incessant rambling immediately, and kindly leave my property. I'd love to duel you, but today's not a good day. I haven't channeled Bereznoff in a while and I'm lagging in my prayers-"

"Say no more, I'm off. Keep in mind though; I won't announce myself the next time I decide to visit."

"I look forward to it," said Nekozawa as he escorted Kaoru to his horse. The brilliant gray steed was left outside of Nekozawa's property for its own safety.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Neko-sensei had been gone for a fairly long time. Curiosity hadn't caused her to leave the closet and peek out the window, but she was worried the calming potion would over boil and be utterly useless. She got to the window just in time to see a handsome red-head ride away on a gray horse, and Nekozawa was nowhere to be seen.

"Tsk, Tsk, kitten. I thought I made myself clear. Why did you leave your hiding spot?" Nekozawa was behind her in the doorway, and he did not sound happy.


	13. Bereznoff and Haruhi

"A lot of bad things are bound to happen if you continue to disobey me."

"Neko-sensei!" Haruhi exclaimed as she whipped around to come face to face with her teacher, "I just-"

"Curious, little kitten? I'm very disappointed in you." Nekozawa advanced on her small form while she propped herself up into a better sitting position. She looked up at him, not with fear, but rather, she looked at him with trust.

"I didn't want the calming potion to over boil, and I needed you to make sure," she explained.

"Well," he said, "despite your intentions, you broke the rules and for that you must be punished. But how?" Nekozawa squatted down and became eye level with her. He picked up a lock of her hair and played with it while letting the options mull around in his head. "I know," he said, and he stood up, "to teach your prying eyes a lesson, you will be blindfolded for the rest of the day." He offered Haruhi a hand and helped her to her feet. "Follow me, please."

Haruhi followed Nekozawa over to his dresser where he opened the top drawer and pulled out a red handkerchief after a bit of shuffling. He deftly tied the fabric around her head completely sealing off her eyesight.

"How will I be able to read the book you gave me?" she asked. Nekozawa sighed.

"I guess we'll have to put that off until tomorrow. Tidy up the living room for now."

Haruhi heard Nekozawa walk away and she clumsily groped her way to the bedroom's wall in an attempt to follow him. She spent the next few hours crawling on the floor stacking books against the wall. Nekozawa had finished up the calming potion after storing away the items Kaoru traded him. What he said to the white wizard earlier was true enough; he had been so busy with Haruhi lately that he'd been neglecting Bereznoff. Nekozawa could only hope that his specter wasn't too upset.

When the sun began to sink Nekozawa began changing into his red and crème attire. He rather adored his ritual garments, and loved donning them when it was time to summon Bereznoff. He was halfway dressed when Haruhi decided to make her entrance. She came in following the edge of the wall and bumped her knee on her bedpost.

"D'Arvit!" she cursed falling back and clutching her knee. Nekozawa jumped at the sudden noise and turned to yell at her for intruding but thought better of it when he saw her in pain. Haruhi spun around on her bottom and leaned her head up against the bed. She bit her lip and winced at the pain. Nekozawa approached her on his knees and put his hands around her head.

He untied her blindfold.

Haruhi blinked a few times and blushed when she realized she was eye level with Nekozawa's naked chest.

"Your punishment is over. Please get ready for bed so I can draw the circle," he said. Haruhi looked at him confusedly until it clicked. She quickly excused herself and went to change in the washroom. When she returned Nekozawa was fully clothed and had completed most of the circle around her bed. She clambered in with the book on herbs from earlier and set a lighted candle on the small nightstand behind her. Nekozawa nodded in approval and stood back to complete the seal.

"Remember," he said, "come out for nothing. Bereznoff may be a little testy and it's very important that you ignore him should you be awake…or if he should wake you." Nekozawa looked at her with utmost serious.

"You have nothing to worry about," replied Haruhi, "I promise."

"Goodnight Haruhi."

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

**Thump**

**Thump**

Haruhi was awoken by this very noise.

**Thump**

"Hello…," she called sleepily.

"Hello," a voice answered back.

Haruhi's eyes widened. She had heard this voice before.

She heard this voice…

Every time Nekozawa got angry.

Haruhi shot up in bed and looked in the direction of the voice. It took her a moment to register that the room was lighted and Nekozawa sat on a stool facing her. The blonde man smiled at her and waved.

"Neko-sensei? What are you doing?"

Nekozawa laughed, "Funny story, as it turns out Bereznoff doesn't need to be summoned for a few more nights and I can't sleep. Why don't you wake up and we can do something fun."

Haruhi rubbed her eyes and looked at the curtained window above Nekozawa's bed. It was still nighttime. "Maybe we should just go to bed Neko-sensei. I'm awfully sleepy, and-"

"No! I mean, we lost a lot of time today because of your mishap, and-"

"Goodnight, Bereznoff," said Haruhi, and she rolled over so that her back was facing him.

"You don't trust me, do you?"

"Not for a second, but I don't see why you want me to come out of the circle so badly."

"Would you mind if we just talk then?"

Haruhi sat up and swung her legs over the side. "…I suppose that would be fine."

"Excellent!" beamed Bereznoff.

"So," began Haruhi, "What would you like to talk about?" Bereznoff straightened his posture and sat cross-legged on his stool. Haruhi finished rubbing the sleep out of her eyes and waited for him to speak.

"It seems my master has taken a liking to you."

"Oh…" Haruhi blushed. Needless to say, she was a little disappointed with his topic of choice. "What makes you say that?"

Bereznoff laughed. "We do share a mind, after all."

"So, why haven't you broken the seal yet?"

"Hmm? Oh, the magick seal. Well, you see, I can't do magick, only my master can."

"But aren't you the one who gives Neko-sensei his power? Why can't you produce magick on your own?"

"Ah, when Umehito is in control, I am his medium and therefore he can produce magick, but when we switch places Umehito is _my_ medium, and I can't produce magick through him. Hence why I've been trying to lure you out of his protection; no offense, by the way."

"I see," said Haruhi in awe, "So that means Neko-sensei's vulnerability is when the two of you switch places after he performs the ritual."

"Not quite."

Haruhi looked at him questionably. Bereznoff smiled.

"It's a secret."

"Oh, so why do you want to lure me out of the circle?"

"I just want to play with you."

The tone in his voice was deep and mischievous. Haruhi felt uneasy at the sound of his words and suddenly became very uncomfortable with him looking at her with such scrutiny. Casually, she slipped under her covers and pulled the blankets up to her chin.

"I'm sorry to cut you short, Specter-san, but I really am tired."

"Ah, no problem, I enjoyed talking with you. We must do it again sometime."

"Of course…I look forward to it." And with that Haruhi turned on her side with her back facing Bereznoff and her front facing the wall. She had a hard time falling asleep that night, and was afraid to move her muscles to a more comfortable position for fear that the eyes burning into her back would actually break the skin.


	14. Gags and Gators

Haruhi awoke rather early the next morning in order to retrieve Nekozawa in his post-ritual state. She found him passed out, face-up, in the bathtub and heaved him out before dragging him to the bedroom. From there she stripped him down and tucked him under the covers, and then she placed the cold washcloths on his forehead and around his neck. He seemed lighter than last time, and she wondered if he lost any weight since then. After Nekozawa was settled Haruhi's mind wandered to the events of last night and wondered if speaking directly with Bereznoff was a good decision based on Nekozawa's multiple warnings. She would tell him everything after he recovered, but Bereznoff, without a doubt, would get to him first.

'Well, if I'm going to get in trouble anyway, I might as well overstep the line a bit.'

Boldly Haruhi agreed with this decision and left the house to further explore the grounds. Now, Nekozawa had told her the charm alarm around his dwellings outlined his entire property. But where his property ended, she wasn't exactly sure.

Haruhi had studied enough magic to be able to detect such things as magical boundary lines: discoloration of the scenery, animal prints, drooping tree branches, etc., but putting theory into practice makes the practice significantly more challenging. Determined, Haruhi exited through the back door and decided to work her way around to the front.

From his house, the property line extended a good mile radius. Along the way she sloshed through the swamp muck and mud as the solid island dissipated the further away she walked. At least if Nekozawa asked, she could tell him she had been working in the barn the whole day. She certainly smelled like it.

She was halfway around the property line when she ran into trouble.

Haruhi was crawling on her hands and knees looking for the signs of the magical line and plunged headfirst into the swamp. She misjudged the support of the ground and crawled over a soft spot that was dry on top, but a wet pit on the bottom. Haruhi swam to the surface spluttering the tepid algae-coated water. She flung the locks of hair out of her face in a messy fashion and rubbed the water out of her eyes. She began treading water and spun around in circles taking in her surroundings. Right behind her there was a gator dipping below the water.

Haruhi panicked and swam for shore…which was a lot further away than she anticipated. She must have swum away from land while she was swimming up. The dress she was wearing was weighing her down, and her limbs were growing heavy. Haruhi was almost there when something suddenly jerked her down. Then she was released and tottered back up to the top. Needless to say, Haruhi was terrified beyond belief and merely treaded in place while coughing up water. Not long after she was pulled down again and then released. It finally clicked that this particular gator liked to play with his food. Without a moment to lose Haruhi broke out into freestyle toward land…of which the edge happened to be a good two feet above her head. She clumsily grasped for it and looked back to see the gator speeding towards her. His nose was a good six inches from her before his head snapped back as if he had collided with a brick wall. Haruhi held her breath and was speechless. All reasoning left her mind and she rapidly began wondering what happened. She couldn't say she wasn't glad when the gator snarled and swam away, but perhaps the scaly creature was a better fate than what came next.

A pair of strong arms had reached down and pulled her out of the swamp.

A shirtless Nekozawa pulled her to safety and held her against his chest. Haruhi listened to his surprisingly steady heart, and compared it to her own rapidly beating one. It was then she remembered that breathing was essential to her being and began gulping down much needed breaths. From there she was pulled to her feet and helped back to the house. Nekozawa led her through the front door and threw her down onto the floor.

"WHAT THE **DEVIL** DID YOU THINK YOU WERE DOING???" Nekozawa was furious. His eyes were livid and his nostrils flared. "You're really pushing my limit, woman! After everything I've done for you, you have the _gall_ to continue disobeying me!" He fell to his knees and grabbed Haruhi's shoulders only to sling her to the side. Haruhi rolled on the floor and fell on her back. Nekozawa crawled over to her, perhaps to deliver another blow, but ended up collapsing on top of her in his weakened state. His head fell in the crook of her neck and his warm breath fell across her shoulder.

"You're still sick, Neko-sensei," said Haruhi in the calmest tone she could manage, "You need to rest in bed." Nekozawa gave a small cough and heaved his weight off of her form; he sat back and wiped the spittle off of his mouth.

"I'm fine! You…you-"

But Haruhi wouldn't hear it and helped him to his feet by slinging his arm around her shoulders. Nekozawa began blacking out and was reluctantly dragged back to bed. He took one look at her after she finished reapplying the wet washcloths and said, "We're talking tonight." Haruhi nodded and tucked him in. His eyes drooped and he fell asleep. Meanwhile, Haruhi left to take a bath and scrub the swamp stink off of her.

Nekozawa was currently chatting with Bereznoff.

'You son of a banshee,' he growled.

"_Ah, master, I thought I was doing you a favor. If I hadn't alerted you that the boundary line had been crossed, you wouldn't have been there in time to save Haruhi. I never noticed what a fast runner you are."_

'The only reason you told me about the breach was because you knew Haruhi would be punished, and if she didn't make it out alive you wouldn't be able to see that punishment administered.'

"_Oh, I wouldn't say that. After last night I'd say she's growing on me; we had a lovely conversation."_

'What about?'

"_Now you calm down."_

'Just get on with it, will you!'

"_Yeah, that's what she said."_

'Bereznoff,' he warned.

"_Of course, master, but I think that, as attached as you are to the wench, no matter how nice you are she's still looking for a way out."_

'What's that supposed to mean?'

"_She was rather interested in your weak points and vulnerabilities. I wonder how she'll react when she finds out that _she's_ your vulnerability."_

'It's been a long time since I've felt so strongly about someone, and I don't need you ruining it,' he sneered, 'And as long as she smart enough to not tango with you then _I_ have nothing to worry about.'

"_Well, you might have your luck there; I tried to lure her out last night and she wasn't falling for it."_

Nekozawa mentally breathed a sigh of relief. 'I'm still talking to her tonight. At least she half-listened to me. All I have to do is add the silent treatment to her list and you'll be fully ignored.'

"_Go ahead and tell her! You can't get by sanely without channeling me, and once you do you're not there to stop me from scaring her…or befriending her."_

'…You wouldn't…'

"_Oh, but I would," _cackled Bereznoff, _"You see, I have a feeling she'll be warming up to me real quickly. I'll have her out of that silly bubble in no time, and then all you'll be able to do is watch while I tear off that pretty nightgown and sink my teeth into her skin. Even though it's me, it's still your body, and she'll never get close to you again…she'll never _trust_ you again."_

Nekozawa gritted his teeth and tried to block his specter out.

"_And you'll get angry…because of past experiences…"_

'Shut up…'

"_And because of your anger…I'll slowly take over…"_

'Shut up!'

"_And you'll be thrust in the back while I gain control…and you'll have to watch while I take her again…"_

'SHUT UP!'

"_And maybe break a few bones…you'll guiltily heal her afterwards…"_

'**BEREZNOFF!'**

"_And the process will repeat…again, and again, …and again…"_

Nekozawa remained silent.

And Bereznoff gave no more incentive.

As soon as night fell Nekozawa felt his power restore to full strength and healed himself of all abnormal – abnormal to him – maladies. He threw on a shirt and found Haruhi making dinner in the kitchen.

"Haruhi, sit."

Haruhi turned around and sat down at the table across from him. She sat up straight and listened patiently for what he had to say.

"What the hell did you think you were doing earlier today?"

"I wanted to explore the boundaries," she explained, "I remembered what you told me about the charm around your property in one of you lessons a few days ago and decided to test it out. I only wanted to see how far the property stretched so I would know the limits to where I could travel-"

"You were almost killed today!"

"But I made it out alright," and before Nekozawa could yell some more, "Thank you," she said. Nekozawa's face softened.

"You're welcome. Now that you know your _boundaries_ I trust you will stay away from the water's edge as much as possible?" Haruhi nodded. "Well, then let's move onto another matter. I heard you and Bereznoff had a…swell time talking with one another last night."

"Oh," blushed Haruhi, "there was a '**thump thump'** noise and it woke me up-"

Nekozawa interrupted, "I thought I specifically told you to ignore Bereznoff at all costs. What a surprise, you disregarded me, yet again." Haruhi looked down at the table. "Look at me when I'm talking to you." Haruhi's head shot back up. "And it looks like you're in for another punishment. My, my, when will you learn?" Nekozawa stood from the table and retreated to his bedroom. He returned with a pair of Haruhi's new stockings and the bandana from yesterday. He made Haruhi open wide and he stuffed the stockings in her mouth. Then, he tied the bandana around her head, over her stuffed mouth, and created an efficient gag. Haruhi tried not to choke on the material and immediately looked at Nekozawa. "You can take it off before you go to bed he said, but not before then. Perhaps this will teach you to hold your tongue."

Nekozawa smiled.

"I guess that means you won't be eating dinner this evening."

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**Naraku's Phoenix****:** Thank you to all of my readers and reviewers. I love you all.


	15. Sudden Kisses

Haruhi narrowed her eyes at her overly cheery sensei and casually sauntered off to the living room where she continued reading her book on herbs and taking notes on her own set of parchment. She was grumpy, no doubt about it, and she was going to make sure he knew it.

After Nekozawa finished eating Haruhi saved the leftovers and started cleaning the kitchen. Throughout the process she sloshed water and banged cabinets while he raised an eyebrow at her saying nothing in return. If anything he was slightly amused by her actions; however, karma bit her in the butt when she opened the back door to toss out the dirty water. A light rain had started pouring from the clouded sky and had formed a puddle on the back porch. As soon as Haruhi stepped outside she slipped on the wooden surface and tumbled down the stairs into the mud. The kitchen bucket followed shortly after and hit her square between the eyes. Dizzy she clamped a hand to her forehead and then beat her fists on the ground on either side of her. Frustrated tears welled up in her eyes and before she could rub them a pair of familiar arms scooped her up and carried her back inside. Once he shut the door Nekozawa laughed and snuggled her into his chest. Haruhi was red with embarrassment and wouldn't even look him in the eye. He carried her to the washroom and relieved her of the gag he placed on her earlier. Laughing silently he walked around to fill the tub with hot water. Haruhi hugged herself and shivered.

"Haruhi?"

Haruhi turned around from her corner to reply when suddenly she was swooped down upon by Nekozawa who began kissing her ferociously. She was half-pinned against the wall and a few bottles fell from the shelf on impact. Shocked at the sudden display of affection Haruhi awkwardly kissed back every now and then, all the while trying to figure out what to do next. Sure, she had practiced kissing with Arai – once – but that hardly covered for the situation she was in now. Nekozawa didn't seem to pay attention to any of this as he was busy trying to satiate his own lust. He roved from her mouth, down her neck, over her shoulder and back again while pulling at the laces on the back of her dress. As soon as the fabric was loose enough to slide down her torso a large clap of thunder erupted and lightening flashed across the window. Haruhi jumped from double-shock – from both the thunder and Nekozawa – and started sobbing as soon as the thunder cracked. There was just so much happening at one time she automatically started crying.

Nekozawa stopped his administrations immediately and furrowed his brow at her sudden outburst. He realized he was moving too fast too soon, and that alone probably sent her into shock. But then he remembered the thunder and how startled she was that night she sought him out.

'Wow,' he thought, 'she's having one hell of a day.' Nekozawa smiled bemusedly before remembering the current situation. He fixed Haruhi's ruffled clothing and pulled her into a comforting hug wedging her between him and the wall. He shushed and cooed in Haruhi's ear while her racing heart calmed and her shallow breaths returned to normal. Simultaneously the short thunderstorm died down and transformed into a gentle mist; there would be heavy fog tomorrow. It would be the perfect day for Nekozawa to get his shopping done.

"I'm sorry," he whispered in her ear, "I won't do that again, I promise. Do you still want to take your bath?" Haruhi nodded. "Very well," he said, and the two of them slowly parted, "I'll stand right outside in case you need me, and then I can put you to sleep, if you'd like."

"Yes, please," whispered Haruhi.

And that's exactly what he did.

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Nekozawa awoke near the brink of dawn. He redressed in the clothes from yesterday as well as in his familiar black cloak. Grabbing a few essentials from his dresser he placed them in a ruddy burlap sack and retreated to the kitchen to pack some food. He wrote a small note for Haruhi and went to place it under the book on her nightstand. He was a little surprised to find her awake.

"Where are you going?" she asked while looking up at him.

"I'm going to shop for some supplies," he said.

"I've been meaning to ask you this," said Haruhi, "but where do you get all this money from?" Nekozawa laughed.

"From my trade, of course. For example, I'm sort of a witch doctor to a village in the south. The place is even more challenged than your village, if you can believe it; it's so primitive." Haruhi's face perked up.

"Is that where you are going?" she asked perhaps a little too quickly, "to my village?" Nekozawa frowned. "You are, aren't you? May I come, too?"

"No. And remember, you made the deal final, not me."

"Then…will you bring me news of my family?"

"Such as?" Nekozawa spoke as if he had a bad taste in his mouth.

"Their health."

"Are you sure that's all you want to know? For example, do you want reassurance that they miss you; that they might be looking for you?" When Haruhi gave no reply, Nekozawa continued, "You're not planning on leaving me are you?"

"I just want to make sure that my baby brother is healthy, is all." Her breath hitched when Nekozawa lowered himself to sit on the edge of the bed.

"Do you want to see him that badly? You could have just asked."

"I-I was afraid you wouldn't let me-"

"You're right," he interrupted, "but…" Nekozawa turned on his corner of the bed and crawled over Haruhi, hovering over her smaller form.

"Neko-sensei?"

"…You can have your own little boy, too, if you want," he grinned and caressed the side of her face, "or maybe a little girl; would you like that?"

Haruhi blushed but didn't break eye contact with him like she normally would. Nekozawa smiled.

'She's learning.'

"Neko-sensei?"

Nekozawa climbed off of Haruhi and stood back on the floor. "I'll check on them…for you."

"Thank you."

"Ah, well, now that you're awake," he said crumpling up the note, "I'll return tomorrow evening with the supplies. I want you to care for the animals, get some laundry done, and brush up on your studies, especially magic. I'll be testing you the next time I see you. I've reinforced the perimeter charm, so no funny business. Agreed?"

"Agreed."

"Now, it is stormy, so if it thunders again tonight, I want you to drink one cup of calming potion and wrap up in something warm. You are welcome to anything in my closet, but don't sleep in my bed. Now, promise me you won't get into too much trouble."

"I promise, Neko-sensei."

"Very well, I'll see you tomorrow." Then Nekozawa picked up his sack in the kitchen and tossed it into the wagon outside. He began his journey to Haruhi's village.

It would be a while before he realized she never answered his question.


	16. Unrequited House Guest

Haruhi began her morning by cooking a hot breakfast. She may have gone a little overboard, though, considering she skipped out on dinner the night before, but everything was delicious and she had no trouble cleaning her plate. After cleaning up in the kitchen she tucked a large wicker basket under her arm and traveled through the house collecting all of the dirty laundry. She stopped off by the bedroom to strip off her nightgown and put on a corset and a pair of underwear. She also pulled on a slip dress – the length extended to her calf – over top. Nekozawa was gone for two days, so she felt no need to be completely dressed, especially on laundry day. Haruhi added her nightgown to the basket and retreated to the washroom where there was a separate tub for laundry. She pumped some of the magical water into a bucket and filled the tub. She nearly fainted at the amount of laundry she collected.

'This is going to take a while.'

So she grabbed some books to pass the time. It seemed that peace and solitude would grace her with their presence the next forty-eight hours, but what she didn't know was that's not what would be happening at all. A certain white wizard was making his way down to the swamp at that very moment.

For the next two hours Haruhi was scrubbing down various articles of clothing, wringing them out, and hanging them on a line inside the house. It'd be more practical to hang the laundry to dry outside, but it would've been useless if it decided to rain again.

'Shoot, the animals.' Haruhi had forgotten to feed them. Quickly she dashed into the bedroom and slipped on a pair of black ankle boots. She also slipped on a cloak from Nekozawa's closet – he offered, after all – and pulled the hood over her head. 'Dammit, I have to milk the cows, too.' Upon reaching the barn she tended to the cows first before passing out the food. The wind blew and chilled the barn. She pulled the cloak tighter around her. Haruhi saw some things jutting from the wrap around shelf at the top of the barn. She decided to move the poles to a more secure position for the animals' safety.

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Kaoru had set out the night before with an entire bag of tricks up his sleeve. Literally. That cloak he wears is huge. Ahem, anyway, he was going to pay his visit to his rival, Nekozawa. And he was going unannounced as promised.

'I hope he's prepared,' snickered Kaoru, 'Because I don't intend to hold back.'

The enchanted swamp was almost within his reach. A few more feet and he would reach the perimeter. Then the tricky part would be finding a blind spot so as not to trigger the charm. But then again, it wasn't so tricky for someone as skilled as Kaoru.

'Got it,' he thought, 'ready or not, here I come.'

The stretch across Nekozawa's territory was clean in its own way, but still rather unpleasant to walk across, and the ever pristine Kaoru hitched up his trailing cloak until he reached more solid ground. Besides, the less evidence he brought back to the castle, the better. Kaoru felt his adrenaline pumping by the time Nekozawa's house came into view. Stealthily he peered into the back window just in time to see he cloaked friend exit out the front. Once _Nekozawa_ was out of sight, Kaoru let himself in the back door to drop off his overnight bag in the kitchen. He snickered and congratulated himself for being so sneaky while he shrugged off his cloak and hung it on the rack. He then picked up his staff and left to follow _Nekozawa's_ path out the front door, but he had to do a double-take when he passed the washroom.

'What the…'

Dresses and ladies' knickers hung from every corner of the room on a dryer line. Kaoru stepped in to take a closer look. He closed his free hand into a fist and bit his index finger.

'Daaaamn!' he hissed, 'How fair is that?! I wonder where she's hiding, or…I hope there's a girl in here. If not I might have to start questioning our friendship.' Kaoru shook that last thought from his head and backed out of the room. He could ask questions later after he got Umehito begging for mercy. Speaking of his shady friend…

Kaoru crept over to the front door and checked out the property from the window. He set his sights on the barn and swiftly made his way over there ducking behind conveniently placed objects and doing tuck rolls and elbow crawls to keep low and avoid unwanted attention. He reached the barn just in time to see _Umehito_ finish milking the cows. Kaoru watched his frienemy feed the animals, and then climb the ladder to the upper shelf. It was then he decided to make his move.

"_Mirtha!"_ yelled Kaoru, and a flash of purple light shot out of the top of his staff. The light hit Haruhi in the back of her right calf. She screamed in pain and fell backwards off the ladder. The wind was knocked out of her as soon as she hit the ground, and Kaoru's jaw dropped when the hood gave way and exposed her face. The cloak did little to hide the fact that she was indeed some strange woman, and not Umehito, as it only fastened below the chin. Kaoru stood dumbfounded as his eyes roamed over Haruhi's figure; her shallow breaths and hisses of pain brought him back to attention quickly enough. He dropped his staff to the ground and ran quickly to her aid.

"Miss! Miss? Oh, I'm so sorry!" he cried. Kaoru knelt down next to her injured leg. There was a rather nasty burn on her calf, but that could be dealt with later. Right now, he needed to get her breathing again. Kaoru gently pulled her upper body into an upright position and kept her propped by the small of her back.

"Just take deep breaths – slow, deep breaths," he instructed in what he thought was a soothing voice. Haruhi seemed to understand him and, with some trouble, drew in as much air as she could manage. A few minutes and a couple of coughs passed by and everything in the atmosphere seemed to have calmed down. Haruhi's breathing returned to normal and she looked at Kaoru with questioning eyes.

She said nothing.

"Are you alright?"

Haruhi slowly nodded.

"You need to have your leg looked at," he said, "I-I'm going to move you inside the house. Is it okay if I carry you?"

Haruhi looked a bit unsure, but the pain in her right calf begged her to accept his offer. Again, she slowly nodded. Kaoru clapped his hands and awkwardly lifted her in his arms. He cradled her close and stooped to pick his staff back up as well; he had Haruhi grab hold of it.

"This is my staff; I'm a wizard and this instrument is how I channel my powers. May I trust you to hold it until we're inside the house?" Haruhi nodded in reply and clutched Kaoru's staff until her knuckles turned white. This may have been because she wanted to distract herself from the pain in her leg. Once in the house, Kaoru situated Haruhi in a chair in the kitchen. He pulled up another chair for her to prop her leg on and give him easy access to the burn. Kaoru reached for his staff but Haruhi didn't look like she was going to be surrendering it anytime soon. So, instead, Kaoru fetched another chair for himself and a medicinal kit from Umehito's trunk. Swiftly he sat down and began his work.

"So," began Kaoru, "how do you know Umehito?" Haruhi's expression became crestfallen. "You do know him, right?" Haruhi nodded. "Er…my name's Kaoru…what is yours?"

Haruhi continued with her silent streak and made a point to not make eye contact. Kaoru sighed; this was getting him nowhere. She bit her lip when he began applying a mint-scented salve.

"Now, I'm no Umehito, but I'm fair enough in his field. I do, however, think I'm the better wizard, so he can be the better medic any day. I…uh…work at the palace." Surprisingly – to him – this piqued Haruhi's interest enough and she rolled her eyes to meet his gaze. "Have you, uh, ever been to the palace?"

Haruhi shook her head.

"Ah, well, you'd like it; it's very pretty. The grounds are lovely in every season, and this being early spring, well…you can only imagine. And, and the people aren't half bad as well, you know. I've got a brother who lives at the castle, too. He doesn't have much of a gift for magick, though."

"What does he do?"

Haruhi's voice startled him. She was starting to trust him, if only a little, and that was a good sign. He flexed her ankle to test the stress on her hamstrings and began wrapping her leg when she showed no physical signs of pain.

"My brother? Well, he's a knight," replied Kaoru, glad she had decided to join in the conversation, "but unlike him, who fights alongside the prince, I _work_ for the prince, but then again, I'm granted freer reign. As far as everyone is concerned, I'm at the apothecary in the eastern islands." Kaoru finished wrapping her leg and set it down on the ground. He helped Haruhi stand up. "Do you feel any pain?"

"No."

"Good. Can you walk?"

"I think so." Haruhi handed the wizard his staff back and gripped the cloak around her body while she walked a slow, steady pace to the front door and back.

"I'm sorry, I truly am," said Kaoru, "I-I had no idea Umehito had a guest. Um, where is he, by the way?" Now, it may have been Haruhi's imagination, but Kaoru may have started to sweat.

"How do you know Neko-sensei?"

Kaoru furrowed his brow and gave her a confused, questioning look before bursting out in laughter.

"Neko…SENSEI? Oh, you've got to be kidding me!"

"I most certainly am not!" said Haruhi, now furiously blushing, "He's my teacher; I'm learning magick." At these words Kaoru stopped laughing and stared at her very seriously.

"So, you're learning the art of sorcery, are you?" It was a rhetorical question. Kaoru sidled up next to Haruhi and inspected her very closely. "Well, you've got the spark, there's no doubt about that." He stepped back and cleared his throat. "Now, back to my original question: is Umehito here? I must apologize for harming his, er, student."

"Neko-sensei is gone for the day; he went to my village to pick up supplies."

"…_Your_ village?" asked Kaoru curiously, "How did you say you became Umehito's apprentice, again?"

"…I-I didn't."

Kaoru's eyes narrowed. "Perhaps you should."

"Maybe you should leave," Haruhi shot back.

Sensing the hostility that began emitting from Haruhi's aura, Kaoru changed the subject.

"My name is Kaoru," he quickly repeated.

"…Haruhi," she finally replied.

"And how long have you been here, Haruhi, with Nekozawa?"

"A little over a month."

"I see," he said, and then a thought struck him, "It was _your_ calming potion that was on the stove the other day, wasn't it?" Haruhi nodded. "You say you're learning magick? Well, it's obvious he wants you to be trained in the art of Healing, but what else is he teaching you?" Haruhi relaxed her stature a bit.

"Oh, he's taught me lots of things, like proper reading and writing. We've been studying mathematics, as of late, though."

Kaoru stared at her for a moment before bursting into laughter. Haruhi's face grew hot with embarrassment.

"I'm sorry," said Kaoru, "I probably should have clarified. I meant to ask what sort of magick you are learning. No offense, but I can't see you learning anything dark."

"You would be right, then. He offered to teach me white magick in its place."

"Well, now I'm offended!" exclaimed Kaoru, "White magick is my specialty, and anything Umehito teaches you in that field, he probably learned from me."

"I think it would be best if you left, now, Kaoru-san. If Neko-sensei made me hide the first time you visited, then he probably doesn't want me talking to you." Haruhi spoke firmly to Kaoru. Kaoru stared back, and another thought, a terrifying and exciting thought, ignited in her mind. "Neko-sensei didn't leave too long ago…if he sensed you crossing his property line, then it should only be a matter of time before he returns home…"

Kaoru snatched an apple from the counter and slouched in his kitchen chair while propping his feet up on the table.

"If there's one thing you should know about magical boundaries, Haruhi, it's that they always have a blind spot." Kaoru stopped fidgeting with the apple and sat up when he noticed he had Haruhi's undivided attention. He took a bite. "Hmm…I wonder why he never told you."

"Can you show me?" she asked, almost whispering.

"I most certainly can!" replied Kaoru.

Haruhi's heart jolted.

"But that doesn't mean I will," he finished. He gazed at Haruhi and said, "No offense, but I'm not my brother; I don't fall for the damsel in distress. Besides, Umehito is a good friend of mine. I'd sooner poke a sleeping dragon in the eye than go against his wishes, and from the looks of it he wishes to keep you all to himself."

Haruhi gripped the oversized cloak around her smaller body and turned her head to the side. "Leave…Now."

"Now, that won't do," responded Kaoru, "I can't leave; not now, anyways. You'll just follow me to the point at which I entered and get the information you want, and that sly bastard will have a fit!"

Haruhi threw him a hard stare. Kaoru got up and made his way over to Haruhi.

"Sorry, but I'm not expected back at the palace until late tomorrow evening. If I leave now and return so soon, they'll know something's up."

"Then camp out!"

"Sorry, girl, but I packed my bags to stay."


	17. Back and Forth

Nekozawa left his property that morning with a slight spring in his step; being exposed to Haruhi made him feel simply elated. With this particular feeling consuming his senses, he actually _wanted_ to carry through with her request. As a matter of fact, as long as he was in this exhilarated mood he would do everything she ever asked of him.

'_Let's not get carried away, now.'_

Nekozawa brushed Bereznoff aside and continued on his way. At the rate he was going he should reach Haruhi's village by late afternoon.

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"Sorry, girl, but I packed my bags to stay."

The words that came out of Kaoru's mouth rendered Haruhi speechless.

"Don't worry; I'll make myself at home."

Kaoru left his partially eaten granny smith on the polished kitchen table and threw his discarded cloak over his shoulder while picking up his bag. Wordlessly he walked past Haruhi and entered Nekozawa's bedroom. Haruhi abruptly followed him.

"Hey! You can't go-"

"Looks like someone has already made herself comfortable," interrupted Kaoru as he eyed her bed. He threw his belongings on the floor next to Nekozawa's bed and flopped down, "I guess I'll just have to make do, here."

"No! No one else is supposed to sleep in his bed; he told me so."

Kaoru glanced up at her from his awkward position on the bed. He was upside down by normal standards, having his feet at the headboard.

"As long as you sleep like this, you have nothing to worry about," he said.

"Why is that?"

Kaoru swung around and sat up to face her. Haruhi took this as a cue to sit down on her own bed.

"Have you ever wondered why your bed faces a different way than this one?" he asked.

"…No."

"Okay, you know about his specter, right?" Haruhi nodded. "Then, let me ask you this: have you ever wondered how he and Bereznoff came to be?"

"I-I'm not following."

Kaoru smirked. "If you sleep with your head towards the east, spirits can freely flow through your mind when the sun rises. That's why most cultures sleep in the opposite direction; that way, when the sunrises, it hits the feet first and the person's astral being is protected."

"And…?"

"Have you ever noticed that Umehito's bed is directly beneath a window facing east?"

"…Oh!" It clicked.

"So you see where I'm going with this," continued Kaoru, "Bereznoff came to Umehito at a very young age by this very manner. Umehito now sleeps in this particular way in hopes that Bereznoff will leave the same way he came. This is a futile attempt, of course. Bereznoff has been intertwined in Umehito's soul for so long that it is impossible to get rid of him. Your bed is facing a different direction to prevent you from the same fate he was succumbed to; his bed is facing this way in an ill-fated attempt to undo what was an accident. You should ask him about it some time."

There was a pregnant pause and Kaoru sprung into a carefree and happy mood as he flopped back down on the mattress.

"Therefore, if I sleep upside down, I'll be fine."

Haruhi looked down. "He never told me."

Kaoru raised a brow at her and gave an audible sigh. He grunted and moved across the room to sit beside her. He awkwardly put an arm around her shoulders and drew her into his chest while patting her arm.

"Oh…that's nothing to be upset about. I'm sure there's a lot you haven't told him about yourself. I bet he's just waiting for the right time…or…something." Haruhi nestled her head into his warmth, and Kaoru shifted uncomfortably. "There, there."

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Nekozawa delivered three firm knocks to a soft wooden door dampened by rain. The current atmosphere displayed a comfortable light that was not too harsh and the clouds that shielded the ground from the sun produced a delicate shade for the world below. A moderate wind was billowing through the trees, and Nekozawa was greeted by a tired, old man with sallow eyes.

"Good afternoon, Fujioka-san," he said smiling, "Two chickens, please."

Ryouji shuffled past Nekozawa and led him around to the grounds out back. He pulled two old hens from the coop and dropped them in a sack for Nekozawa.

"Five shillings," said Ryouji.

"Five?" inquired Nekozawa.

"Five shillings," repeated Ryouji, "My expenses of living just went up."

"Oh! But of course," said Nekozawa as he produced five silver coins from his purse, "Your wife was with child since last I visited. Tell me; is it a boy or girl?"

Ryouji took the money from him and practically threw the chickens into his chest. He said nothing. Nekozawa cracked a conniving grin.

"I can't help but wonder where your lovely daughter is, today. I assume you finally married her off? She's at that age, you know. What a shame, had I known she was leaving so soon I would have made more trips down here. You never know; it could've been me keeping her warm in _my_ bed-**AckGh**!"

Ryouji had stepped forward and gripped his hands around Nekozawa's neck, slowly attempting to crush his trachea. As if suddenly realizing what he was doing Ryouji quickly relinquished his hold and jumped back a step, trembling. The five shillings remain scattered and dirty across the moist earth between them.

Nekozawa straightened up and picked up his belongings. He cleared his throat. "Well, it appears I have crossed a line. I shall take my leave now." He picked up three of the discarded shillings. "I wish your family the best."

"T-take it back, you devil!"

Nekozawa made his departure.

From a safe distance away a young man witnessed the exchange between Nekozawa and Haruhi's father, and for some reason he felt that the black wizard knew something. The kuro neko knew something about _Haruhi_. Why else would he taunt poor Ryouji? So, whatever the cost Arai decided he would get to the bottom of this mystery, and keep an eye on the feared, hooded man…if he was even a man at all.

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After convincing Haruhi that he was in dire need of food Kaoru heaved a sigh of relief when she left their uncomfortable embrace. Haruhi seemed like such a sweet and innocent girl. Kaoru wondered of Nekozawa's intentions with her, but more importantly he wondered why such a seemingly sweet and innocent girl willingly entered the dwelling of such a shady, dangerous enigma.

The smell of boiling vegetables and salted meat reached Kaoru's nose and he half consciously followed it to the kitchen where he took a seat at the table. For a while he watched Haruhi prepare their meal; she had taken off Nekozawa's old cloak, tied her hair back, and stood before him in a delicate white slip and black ankle boots that were caked with dry mud. His eyes wandered to the bandages over her calf and the guilt set in.

'I should have checked,' he mentally scolded himself.

"Shoot; it's not hot enough," he heard Haruhi mutter. She suddenly turned around and threw the oversized cloak back on.

"Where are you going?" asked Kaoru.

"Outside to get some wood for the stove," she replied. Before she could make it two steps further Kaoru let out a burst of laughter. "And what, pray tell, is so funny?"

Kaoru got up and bent down in front of the stove. "I guess you really are a beginner. Element manipulation will be in your training, though. Watch and learn," he said. Kaoru grasped the door to the cast iron stove and pulled it open. Open flames licked the moderately charred wood and Haruhi gasped when Kaoru looked like he was going to stick his head inside.

"Hey! Don't do that; you'll get hurt!"

Kaoru continuously chuckled but calmed himself long enough to blow a constant flow of breath across the yellow orange flames. Almost instantly the fire within the stove roared and flared to life bringing the food atop the stove to boil and sizzle. The wood appeared to be no longer contributing. Haruhi stared at Kaoru in awe.

"How did you do that?!"

"Magick, m'dear. Something you should be practicing in the near future."

Haruhi blushed.

Kaoru hopped up off his knees and brushed the dust off his hands and trousers. "Why don't you take a seat; it's about time to change those bandages." Haruhi pulled up a chair and Kaoru grabbed the medicine kit. He carefully propped her leg up and removed the bandages. There seemed to be only a minor burn, now, and no visible scratches. He applied more salve and wrapped fresh bandages around her calf. "Everything looks good; the medicine is taking effect. You may remove the bandages in the morning."

"So quickly? Are you sure?"

"And here I thought you were Umehito's student," mumbled Kaoru disapprovingly, "Magick-inflicted wounds are much more different than physical wounds. They take effect faster, and they have the ability to heal faster – with the proper treatment, of course."

"Oh, I see."

"Haruhi?"

"Yes."

"I would appreciate it if you told me why you were here…Why has Umehito taken you in? What did you do to put yourself at his mercy? Why haven't you escaped yet? Don't you know how dangerous your position is?"

"To answer all of those questions, I will say only this: Neko-sensei and I have a deal, and I have no intention of breaking our arrangement."

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It was nighttime now.

Nekozawa had just finished storing away his purchases in the cart and had carved out a moderate sleeping space in the decaying hay. He ate a lump of cheese and a loaf of bread for dinner. Once he was finished eating, he tucked away his dagger – which he used to cut the bread – into its sheath on his belt and he drew the hood of his cloak back up over his face. He decided to pay Haruhi's house another visit, but this time he was to be undetected. Most of the villagers had slipped off to bed by now, preparing them to wake up early the next morning. Nekozawa exited the barn and glided across the ground towards the Fujioka dwelling.

What he didn't know, or perhaps he did and didn't let on, was that a young man called Arai was watching him…and now following him.

Nekozawa crept around the Fujioka house until he spotted the window that led to Haruhi's former room. He scaled the wall and let himself inside. Haruhi's room, like the rest of the house was dark. Nekozawa conjured his ball of blue fire and inspected the young girl's former residence. When he left earlier he heard her mother calling the child Isaac, and sadly he didn't want that little piece of information to be the only thing he brought back to Haruhi. So, he looked around for something she may have treasured while she lived here.

Her room was nothing special, practically bare. He approached a small table on the far side of the room that held a few promising items: a painted music box, a hand-sewn poppet, a tiny mirror, and a couple of books. Pleased with the selection Nekozawa scooped all of these things into a separate sack he had brought along for this very purpose and exited through the window. Arai saw him leave and was almost brave enough to approach Nekozawa until he saw the ball of blue fire follow its conjurer. It seems that Arai had briefly forgotten that his opponent is magick. For now, he would watch the wizard from the shadows.

He followed Nekozawa up to the barn and left when he disappeared inside.

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"Awe, Haruhi!" whined Kaoru, "Can't you be any more specific than that?"

"Kaoru-san," Haruhi sighed, "You've been asking me the same thing over and over again since we finished dinner, and I think it should be quite obvious by now that I am not relaying any more information than what I have already given you."

"So you admit there is more to this…this deal!"

"Forgive me, Kaoru-san, but I've had a rough day. I'm tired and would like to go to sleep now."

"Oh, but of course," said Kaoru slightly embarrassed.

"Goodnight, Kaoru-san."

"Goodnight, Haruhi-san."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

**The myth Kaoru informs Haruhi about is real.**


	18. Brother, Brother

Kaoru slipped away in the peachy glow of the morning sunrise. He left while Haruhi was still sleeping to fully ensure that she would not follow him and get any crazy ideas about leaving Nekozawa. He'd seen his blonde friend on the rampage before, and it was not pretty. Besides, Haruhi seemed to be doing okay here.

He laughed at her as she slept under the covers. She was still wearing her slip and Nekozawa's cloak from the day before and her hair was a mess. Still, the time he spent with her wasn't quite as unpleasant as he feared it would be. He didn't get the information he was vying for, but he still learned a good lot about her: she was a good cook, for example; and she was an eager learner; not to mention she wasn't that hard on the eyes, either.

He eyed her as he quietly packed up his bag and drew on his shoes and cloak. Coming to a decision he scribbled a note and left it on her nightstand along with a little trinket he extracted from his pocket. He had meant for the pin to be a souvenir for the Prince, but Prince Tamaki already had enough junk lying around his chambers – Éclair being a part of that. Kaoru shook his head at the thought of that infuriating woman and he tiptoed quietly out of the room. He grabbed some food from the kitchen and picked his staff up at the door. Breathing in a breath of moist morning air the white wizard began his journey back to the castle grounds.

He made a few stops along his way to pocket various plant life for both his practice and the Royal Healer. The Healer was a rather cunning individual that thrived on all affairs within the castle. While medicine was his specialty he was also a savvy businessman and made sure that the prince got everything he wished. The prince had a habit of involving himself in everyone else's affairs and trying to fix their problems. Prince Tamaki would be a great king when his time came; his subjects would be happy and as long as the healer, Kyoya – who was so much more than a healer - , stayed on as his advisor the kingdom would be very prosperous, indeed.

Kaoru's mind drifted to some of the other castle's occupants as he traveled: Lord Haninozuka and his bodyguard, Morinozuka, in particular. He didn't spend enough time with them, as the little Lord often put it, so perhaps that's why the white wizard found his thoughts wandering around those two. Lord Haninozuka, or "Hunni," was capable of taking care of himself physically, so Mori's presence was mostly for companionship. Hunni had the mentality of a seven-year old and would live off of sweets in a heartbeat, but even he knows a warrior needs a healthy diet. Hunni was in charge of military training. The kingdom of Ouran had the finest troops in all the lands thanks to that little blonde-haired man. Hunni is very self-conscious about his age and his outward appearance and throttles anyone who even remotely teases him without a second thought. Mori is a different matter. He's the strong and silent type; perfectly vigilant. Kaoru doesn't know too much about the sword bearing man, but he knew enough to stay on his toes around him.

Unfortunately Kaoru began thinking about his brother next. He shivered.

'Ah, well. I'll deal with him when I get there.'

Half an hour had passed before Kaoru reached his silver gray steed he had left behind the night before. The old horse carried him through all of his journeys, and it was the only animal he knew of that wasn't susceptible to the mad aura around Nekozawa's estate. Kaoru wanted a good walk and opted to leave Speardove beside his favorite brook.

He patted Speardove on the nose and heaved himself atop the steed. From there they rode until a little after noon where they stopped in one of Kaoru's favorite villages for some food and rest. Upon entering the town he fed his horse and tied him up at the watering trough, and Kaoru entered the lively pub that was across the street.

"Kaoru-san!" greeted a giggling barmaid above the racket, "It's a bit early for you to be stopping by, isn't it?" Kaoru whipped around the girl and drew her into his chest while he nuzzled into her neck.

"Oh, Miki, I'm a rather unpredictable individual. You should know that by now?"

Miki blushed. "Hardly," she said while she drew away from him, "You're as predictable as you'll ever be. I suppose you happen to have some time for a quick romp in the hay?"

"Meet you upstairs in fifteen minutes?" he winked.

"We'll see," she smiled slyly. Miki then left to attend to the other customers.

At her departure, Kaoru made himself comfortable at a nearby table until someone came to take his order. It wasn't long before someone tapped his shoulder, and that someone happened to be one of the maids who ran the inn above the pub.

"Sir Hikaru, I thought you said you'd wait at the bar. Well, in any case I have finished preparing your room so you may take a nap, now, if you like." The maid stood back prepared to lead the red-haired man to his temporary dwelling.

'Oh, shit,' thought Kaoru. He immediately began panicking and haphazardly groped for his belongings. He had almost made it two steps away from the table before he was stopped in his tracks by a menacing aura.

Hikaru was glaring at him from behind.

"Hello, brother…so nice of you to…_drop by_."

"Heh heh, well Hikaru, you know how it is! Busy, busy, busy! I should probably get going now; lots to do!"

"Not so fast. Why don't we head upstairs and have a little chat."

"Oh, um, well, if you insist."

"Oh…**I do**."

Kaoru sighed, "I was afraid you would." He reluctantly followed Hikaru up the polished wooden stairs and into his room. From there Kaoru assumed the position of sitting on the bed and waiting for his brother's latest lecture.

"You went there, again, didn't you?" inquired Hikaru. It was a rhetorical question. "A life full of loss and misery is all that awaits you if you keep hanging around that black cat. You know how the rest of us feel about him."

"Is the Prince here?" Kaoru quickly asked.

"No, actually. And you can thank the goddesses for that one. Lord Tamaki may seem dapper and sincere, but you and I both know how ferocious he can be."

"So, what brings you here, Hikaru? You know where I was…" Kaoru trailed off.

"For your information I was called out early this morning and stopped by to rest before returning to the castle. Luckily I'm here to escort you, now. People are starting to get suspicious, you know."

Kaoru flopped back on Hikaru's bed. "Wow, that Kyoya is really becoming a pain in both our sides."

"Heh, don't let him hear you say that, or the next time one of us is sick he'll slip us a mild poison in place of the antidote."

"Yeah, that does sound like him."

Hikaru rolled Kaoru over on the floor and settled into the bed he paid for. Kaoru landed on his face with a smack and groaned.

"Now," continued Hikaru, "and I know I'm going to regret asking this, but what went on over at…**his** place?"

"Oh! Well, we had a duel and…and I won, of course," Kaoru hurriedly explained.

"If you hadn't spent the night I would believe you. Now, what really went down?"

"Well, he's got a pretty little thing living with him now. Her name's Haruhi, but she was too busy calling out my name to much of say anything else."

Hikaru laughed and rolled over so that he had his back facing Kaoru. "Yeah, right," he said. And he drifted off to sleep. Kaoru walked across the room to sit down in the room's plush armchair and pulled out a book to read. Now that his brother had him in his clutches there was no way he was going to risk sneaking off.


End file.
